Active enclosure for computing device

ABSTRACT

A computing device is disclosed. The computing device includes a housing having an illuminable portion. The computing device also includes a light device disposed inside the housing. The light device is configured to illuminate the illuminable portion.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the priority of the following U.S. patentapplications, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference:

[0002] U.S. patent application Ser. No: 10/075,964 filed on Feb. 13,2002 and entitled ACTIVE ENCLOSURE FOR COMPUTING DEVICE, which claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/298,364, filed on Jun.15, 2001 and entitled “ACTIVE ENCLOSURE FOR COMPUTING DEVICE”;

[0003] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/075,520, filed on Feb. 13,2002 and entitled “COMPUTING DEVICE WITH DYNAMIC ORNAMENTAL APPEARANCE”;which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/315,571,filed on Aug. 28, 2001 and entitled “COMPUTING DEVICE WITH DYNAMICORNAMENTAL APPEARANCE”.

[0004] This application is also related to the following U.S. patentapplications, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference:

[0005] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/389,915, filed on Sep. 3,1999 and entitled “DISPLAY HOUSING FOR COMPUTING DEVICE,” which claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/134,082, filed May 14,1999 and entitled “DISPLAY HOUSING FOR COMPUTING DEVICE”

[0006] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/013,126, filed on Dec. 7,2001 and entitled “HOUSING FOR A COMPUTING DEVICE,” which is adivisional of U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,887, filed on Oct. 25, 1999 andentitled “HOUSING FOR A COMPUTING DEVICE” and which claims priority toU.S. Provisional Application No. 60/134,084, filed May 14, 1999 andentitled “HOUSING FOR A COMPUTER DEVICE”

[0007] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/402,311, filed on Mar. 26,2003 and entitled “COMPUTER LIGHT ADJUSTMENT,” which claims priority toU.S. Provisional Application No. 60/436,205, filed Dec. 24, 2002 andentitled “COMPUTER LIGHT ADJUSTMENT”

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0008] 1. Field of the Invention

[0009] The present invention relates generally to a computing device.More particularly, the present invention relates to improved featuresfor changing the appearance of a computing device.

[0010] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0011] Most computing devices, including portable computers and desktopcomputers, give feedback to its user via a display screen or speakers.As is generally well known, display screens are used to display textualor graphical information to a user and speakers are used to output soundto the user. For example, display screens may be used to display agraphical user interface (GUI) and speakers may be used to output musicor audio messages. Computing devices also give feedback to users viasmall indicators positioned on the computing device. By way of example,some indicators use light to indicate that a computing device (or thedisplay screen of the computing device) is turned on/off or that a diskdrive is reading or writing data to a disk. Although displays, speakersand indicators work well, they are limited to the type of feedback theygive a user. For example, while playing a movie with a DVD drive of acomputing device, the display screen only outputs the video associatedwith the movie, the speaker only outputs the audio associated with themovie, and the indicator only indicates that a movie is playing the DVDdrive. Thus, it would be desirable to provide additional feedback to auser.

[0012] Computing devices also have housings that enclose the componentsand circuitry associated with operating the computing devices. Housingsgenerally serve to shield and protect the components and circuitry fromadverse conditions such as impact and dust. In some cases, the housingsare configured to surround all the components of the computing devicewhile in other cases the housings are configured to surround individualor a subset of components. For example, a housing may be used to enclosethe central processing unit (CPU), display screen, disk drive, andspeaker to form a single unit. As another example, a plurality ofdifferent housings may be used to individually enclose the CPU, displayscreen, disk drive and speakers to form a plurality of individual units.

[0013] As is generally well known, housings for computing devices inparticular product lines are typically manufactured with the sameappearance, i.e., they look the same. For example, housings from aparticular product line may have the same box-like shape and/or the sameneutral color. This can be discouraging to computer users who desirecomputers that are more personalized or to computer users who desirecomputers that are different than another user's computer. Recently,manufacturers have attempted to remedy this problem by offering brightlycolored or translucent housings for computing devices. For example, somecomputer and telephone manufacturers now sell a variety of housings,which have different colors and patterns. By way of example, the iMAC®computer, which is produced by Apple Computer of Cupertino, Calif., isavailable in various colors and patterns.

[0014] Although these recent advances make substantial inroads toovercoming the same old appearance, the housings for the computingdevice remain passive structures that exhibit a non-adaptable ornon-changing appearance. That is, a colored or patterned housing has asingle color or pattern associated therewith that does not changeovertime.

[0015] External lights have been used in some devices associated withdisplaying video to enhance the viewing experience of the video.Unfortunately, however, none of the external lights have been capable ofchanging the visual appearance of the device housing. That is, theexternal lights are typically located outside the periphery of thehousing and are typically arranged to alter the environment in which thevideo is shown rather than the device housing itself (the appearance ofthe housing remains the same even with the use of lights).

[0016] Thus, there is a need for improvements in appearances of housingsfor computing devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The invention relates, in one embodiment, to a computing device.The computing device includes a housing for enclosing various internalcomponents associated with the operation of the computing device. Thecomputing device also includes an indicator assembly for indicatingevents associated with the computing device. The indicator assembly isconfigured to produce an indicator image at an outer surface of thehousing when activated, and to eliminate the indicator image from theouter surface of the housing when deactivated.

[0018] The invention relates, in another embodiment, to a housingindicator system. The housing indicator system includes a housing havingat least an inner bezel. The inner bezel has a light receiving recessthat forms a reduced thickness portion. The reduced thickness portion istranslucent. The housing indicator system also includes a light sourcedisposed behind the housing. The light source is configured toilluminate the reduced thickness portion in order to form an indicatorimage at the outer surface of the inner bezel. The shape of the recessproduces an indicator image of similar shape on the outer surface of theinner bezel.

[0019] The invention relates, in another embodiment, to a housingindicator system. The housing indicator system includes a housing havinga clear outer layer and a translucent inner layer. The translucent innerlayer includes a light receiving recess that forms a reduced thicknessportion. The reduced thickness portion represents the area of thetranslucent layer that is illuminated. The housing indicator system alsoincludes an indicator assembly. The indicator system includes a lightdevice configured to provide light to the reduced thickness portion, alight barrier configured to prevent light from entering the translucentlayer except at the reduced thickness portion and a light guideconfigured to direct light from the light source to the reducedthickness portion.

[0020] The invention relates, in another embodiment, to a computersystem. The computer system includes a processor configured to generatelight control signals. the computer system also includes a light featureoperatively coupled to the processor. The light feature includes one ormore light emitting diodes capable of emitting light in order toilluminate an illuminable housing of the computer system. The computersystem also includes a light driver disposed between the processor andat least one of the LEDs. The light driver is configured to convert thelight control signals into a stable continuous current for driving thelight emitting diode. The magnitude of the current is based at least inpart on the light control signal. The magnitude of the current effectsthe light intensity of the light emitting diode.

[0021] The invention relates, in another embodiment, to a method ofilluminating a housing. The method includes generating a light controlsignal associated with a desired light intensity. The method alsoincludes converting the light control signal into a voltagerepresentative of the desired light intensity. The method furtherincludes converting the voltage into a current representative of thedesired light intensity. The current driving an LED so as to producelight. the method additionally includes directing the light from the LEDthrough the housing such that an image is created at an outer surface ofthe housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The invention will be readily understood by the followingdetailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, andin which:

[0023]FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram of an electronic device, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0024]FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of computer illumination processing, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0025]FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of computer illumination processing, inaccordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

[0026]FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a computing device, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

[0027]FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a computer system, in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention.

[0028]FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a computer system, in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention.

[0029]FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a computer system, in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention.

[0030]FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a computer system, in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention.

[0031]FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a computer system, in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention.

[0032]FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a computer system, in accordancewith another embodiment of the present invention.

[0033]FIG. 11 is a perspective diagram of a computer system, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0034]FIG. 12 is a perspective diagram of a computer system, inaccordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

[0035]FIG. 13 is a side view of a LED array, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

[0036]FIG. 14 is a graphical illustration showing color mixing via theLED array of FIG. 8, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0037]FIG. 15 is a perspective diagram of a computer, in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention.

[0038]FIG. 16 is a top view of a computer, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

[0039]FIG. 17 A-C are broken away top views, in cross section, of a wallof a computer, in accordance with several embodiments of the presentinvention.

[0040]FIG. 18 is a perspective diagram of a computer, in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention.

[0041]FIG. 19 is a top view of a computer, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

[0042]FIG. 20 is a perspective diagram of a computer, in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention.

[0043]FIG. 21 A-D are broken away top views, in cross section, of a wallof a computer, in accordance with several embodiments of the presentinvention.

[0044]FIG. 22 is a perspective diagram of a computer, in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention.

[0045]FIG. 23 is a top view of a computer, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

[0046]FIG. 24 is a simplified diagram of a light source arrangement, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0047]FIG. 25 is a simplified diagram of a light source arrangement, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0048]FIG. 26 is a simplified diagram of a light source arrangement, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0049]FIG. 27 is a top view of a computer having a light reflectingsystem, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0050]FIG. 28 is a simplified diagram of a chameleonic electronicdevice, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0051]FIG. 29 is a broken away diagram of a general purpose computer, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0052]FIG. 30 is a block diagram of a computer system, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

[0053]FIG. 31 is a perspective diagram of a computer system, inaccordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

[0054]FIG. 32 is a simplified diagram of a computer network, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0055]FIG. 33 is a flow diagram of illumination processing, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0056]FIG. 34 is a perspective diagram of a monitor, in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention.

[0057]FIG. 35 is a perspective diagram of a monitor, in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention.

[0058]FIG. 36 is a perspective diagram of a monitor, in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] FIGS. 37A-37F are perspective diagrams of a monitor presenting asequence, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0060] FIGS. 38A-38B are simplified diagrams of a monitor presenting asequence, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0061] FIGS. 39A-39B are simplified diagrams of a monitor presenting asequence, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0062]FIG. 40 shows a computer system including a base and a monitor, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0063]FIGS. 41A and 41B illustrate an indicator image as it appears onthe surface of the housing when the indicator is on, and as itdisappears from the surface of the housing when the indicator is off, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0064]FIG. 42 is a diagram of an indicator, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

[0065]FIG. 43 is a diagram of a housing indicator system, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

[0066]FIG. 44 is a diagram of a housing indicator system, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

[0067]FIG. 45 is a diagram of a housing indicator system, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

[0068]FIG. 46 shows a fuzzy indicator image and a crisp indicator image,in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

[0069]FIG. 47 is a diagram of a housing indicator system, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

[0070]FIG. 48 is a diagram of a housing indicator system, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

[0071]FIG. 49 is a diagram of a housing indicator system, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

[0072]FIG. 50 is a diagram of a housing indicator system, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

[0073]FIG. 51 is a diagram of a housing indicator system, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

[0074]FIG. 52 is a diagram of a housing indicator system, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

[0075]FIG. 53 is a diagram of a housing indicator system, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

[0076]FIG. 54 is a diagram of the various layers of a computer systemwith a light feature, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0077]FIG. 55 is a diagram of light assembly, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

[0078]FIG. 56 is a diagram of light assembly, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

[0079]FIG. 57 is a simplified diagram of a light driver, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

[0080]FIG. 58 is an exemplary circuit diagram of light driver, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0081]FIG. 59 is an exemplary circuit diagram of light switch, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. T

[0082]FIG. 60 is a diagram of a graphical user interface, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0083] The invention pertains to electronic devices capable of changingtheir ornamental or decorative appearance, i.e., the outer appearance asseen by a user. The electronic devices generally include an illuminablehousing. The illuminable housing, which includes at least one wallconfigured for the passage of light, is configured to enclose, cover andprotect a light arrangement as well as functional components of theelectronic device. For example, in the case of a desktop computer, thefunctional components may include a processor for executing instructionsand carrying out operations associated with the computer, and in thecase of a display monitor, the functional components may include adisplay for presenting text or graphics to a user. The lightarrangement, which generally includes one or more light sources, isconfigured to produce light for transmission through the light passingwall (or walls) of the illuminable housing. As should be appreciated,the transmitted light illuminates the wall (s) thus giving the wall anew appearance, i.e., the color, pattern, behavior, brightness and/orthe like. That is, the transmitted light effectively alters theornamental or decorative appearance of the electronic device. By way ofexample, a light source capable of producing green light may cause thelight passing wall to exude green.

[0084] In most cases, the light is controlled so as to produce a lighteffect having specific characteristics or attributes. As such, theelectronic device may be configured to provide additional feedback tothe user of the electronic device and to give users the ability topersonalize or change the look of their electronic device on an on-goingbasis. That is, a housing of the electronic device is active rather thanpassive, i.e., the housing has the ability to adapt and change. Forexample, the light may be used to exhibit a housing behavior thatreflects the desires or moods of the user, that reflects inputs oroutputs for the electronic device, or that reacts to tasks or eventsassociated with operation of the electronic device.

[0085] It is contemplated that the present invention may be adapted forany of a number of suitable and known consumer electronic products thatperform useful functions via electronic components. By way of example,the consumer electronic products may relate to computing devices andsystems that process, send, retrieve and/or store data. The computingdevices and systems may generally relate to desktop computers (bothsegmented and all-in-one machines) that sit on desks, floors or othersurfaces, portable computers that can be easily transported by a user,or handheld computing devices. By way of example, portable computersinclude laptop computers, and handheld computing devices includepersonal digital assistants (PDAs) and mobile phones.

[0086] Embodiments of the invention are discussed below with referenceto FIGS. 1-26. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciatethat the detailed description given herein with respect to these figuresis for explanatory purposes as the invention extends beyond theselimited embodiments.

[0087]FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram of a chameleonic electronic device10, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The word“chameleonic” refers to the fact that the electronic device 10 has theability to alter its visual appearance.

[0088] The chameleonic electronic device 10 generally includes a housing12 configured to form an external protective covering of the chameleonicelectronic device 10 and a light system 14 configured to adjust theilluminance or pigmentation of the housing 12. The housing 12 of thechameleonic electronic device 10 surrounds and protects internalcomponents 18 disposed therein. The internal components 18 may be aplurality of electrical components that provide specific functions forthe chameleonic electronic device 10. For example, the internalelectrical components 18 may include devices for generating,transmitting and receiving data associated with operating the electronicdevice. In one embodiment, the chameleonic electronic device is acomponent of a computer system, as for example, a general purposecomputer. As such, the internal electrical components may include aprocessor, memory, controllers, I/O devices, displays and/or the like.

[0089] The chameleonic electronic device 10 is configured to change itsvisual appearance via light. That is, the housing 12 is configured toallow the passage of light and the light system 14 is configured toproduce light for transmission through the housing 12. In oneembodiment, the light system 14 includes a light arrangement (notshown). The light arrangement, which is disposed inside the housing 12and which includes at least one light source, is configured to emitlight 20 incident on the inner surface of the housing 12. As should beappreciated, light 22 that is transmitted through the wall of thehousing 12 changes the look of the housing 12 and thus the visualappearance of the chameleonic electronic device 10. By way of example,the light 20 may cause the housing 12 to exude a specific brightnesssuch as intense or dull light, a specific color such as green, red orblue, a specific pattern such as a rainbow or dots, or a changingbehavior such as a strobe effect or fading in/out.

[0090] In some cases, the light system 14 is arranged to cooperate withthe electrical components 18. For example, events associated with theelectrical components 14 may be monitored, and the light system 14 maybe controlled based on the monitored events. As such, an illuminationeffect corresponding to a specific event may be produced. For example,the housing 12 may be configured to exude a blinking red coloration whenan event has been implemented. Although the light system 14 maycooperate with the electrical components 18, it should be understoodthat the electrical components 18 and the light system 14 are distinctdevices serving different functions. That is, the electrical components18 are generally configured to perform functions relating to operatingthe chameleonic electronic device 10, and the light system 14 isgenerally configured to change the appearance of the housing 12 thereof.

[0091]FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of computer illumination processing 30,in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The computerillumination processing 30 is performed by a computer (or computersystem) to provide the computer with an illumination effect, as forexample, the illumination of a housing relating to the computer. Theillumination effect for the housing is provided by a light system.Typically, the light system is internal to the housing beingilluminated. In one embodiment, the computer corresponds to a generalpurpose computer such as an IBM compatible computer or an Applecompatible computer. By way of example, the Apple compatible computermay include different models such as the iMac, G3, G4, Cube, iBook, orTitanium models, which are manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. ofCupertino, Calif.

[0092] The computer illumination processing 30 begins at block 32 whereevents associated with a computer are monitored. In one embodiment, theevents being monitored are identified by an operating system or amicroprocessor utilized within the computer. The events can take manyforms such as operating system events or microprocessor events. By wayof example, the events may relate to signals, conditions or status ofthe computer.

[0093] Following block 32, the process proceeds to block 34 where alight system, associated with the computer, is controlled 34 based onthe monitored events to provide a housing, also associated with thecomputer, with an ornamental appearance. In other words, the computerillumination processing 30 operates to provide the housing of thecomputer with a dynamic ornamental appearance that varies in accordancewith the monitored events of the computer. By way of example, thehousing and light system may generally correspond to the housing andlight system described in FIG. 1. After the light system is controlledat block 34, the computer illumination processing 30 is complete andends. It should be noted, however, that the processing can be repeatedlyperformed or performed whenever a new event occurs.

[0094]FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of computer illumination processing 40,in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. The computerillumination processing 40 is performed by a computer system (orcomputer) to provide the computer system with an illumination effect, asfor example, the illumination of a housing associated with the computersystem. The illumination effect for the housing is provided by a lightsystem. Typically, the light system is internal to the housing beingilluminated. In one embodiment, the computer system corresponds to ageneral purpose computer such as an IBM compatible computer or an Applecompatible computer. By way of example, the Apple compatible computermay include different models such as the iMac, G3, G4, Cube, iBook, orTitanium models, which are manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. ofCupertino, Calif.

[0095] The computer illumination processing 40 generally begins at block42 where computer system hardware and software is monitored. Here, oneor more devices, units or systems associated with the computer systemcan be monitored. By way of example, the devices or systems beingmonitored can include one or more of a microprocessor, an operatingsystem, an application or utility program, or input/output (I/O)devices. After block 42, the process proceeds to block 44 where statusinformation associated with the devices, units or systems is obtainedfrom the monitoring. By way of example, status information maycorrespond to I/O connectivity status, wireless connectivity status,network connectivity status, processor status (e.g., sleep, shutdown),program status (e.g., errors, alerts, awaiting inputs, received newmail, loading), remote status (e.g., retrieving information from theinternet), and/or the like.

[0096] After block 44, the process proceeds to block 46 whereillumination characteristics are determined. Illuminationcharacteristics generally refer to how a housing associated with thecomputer is illuminated to produce an ornamental appearance. Theillumination characteristics are generally based on the statusinformation and predetermined configuration information. In oneembodiment, the predetermined configuration information identifies atype and nature of the illumination (e.g., which lights are operated,how long the light sources are operated, what color the light sourceoutput, etc.) that is to be provided for a specific status information.By way of example, a blinking red coloration may be identified when aprogram status such as an error is monitored.

[0097] In one embodiment, the predetermined configuration information isstored in a database. Thus, the computer consults the information heldin the database in order to determine the illumination characteristicsfor a specific event. The predetermined configuration information storedin the database may be accessed by a user through a light control menu,which may be viewed on a display screen as part of a GUI interface. Thelight control menu may include light control settings pertaining to oneor more events of the computer. In fact, the light control menu mayserve as a control panel for reviewing and/or customizing the lightcontrol settings, i.e., the user may quickly and conveniently review thelight control settings and make changes thereto. Once the user saves thechanges, the modified light control settings will be employed (e.g., aspredetermined configuration information) to handle future eventstransmitted and/or received through the computer.

[0098] After the illumination characteristics have been determined, theprocess proceeds to block 48 where driving signals for light elementsassociated with the light system are determined in accordance with theillumination characteristics. Typically, the light elements are arrangedwithin a portion of the computer system. For example, the light elementscould be arranged within a primary housing of the computer system. Inanother embodiment, the light elements could be arranged within ahousing for a peripheral device associated with the computer system.After the driving signals are determined, the process proceeds to block50 where the driving signals are used to control the light elements. Forexample, the driving signals may actuate one or more of the lightelements so as to emit light incident on an inner surface of a housing.Once the drive signals control the light elements, the ornamentalappearance of the housing is thus altered. Typically, the housing hasone or more portions that are configured for allowing the passage oflight, thereby causing the light to be transmitted therethrough whicheffectuates the ornamental appearance of the housing.

[0099] After using the driving signals, the process proceeds to block 52where a decision is made as to whether the computer illuminationprocessing 40 should end. When the decision 52 determines that thecomputer illumination processing 40 should not end, the computerillumination processing 40 returns to repeat the operation 42 andsubsequent operations so that the illumination characteristics can becontinuously updated in accordance with the status information. On theother hand, when the decision 52 determines that the computerillumination processing 40 should end, the computer illuminationprocessing 40 is complete and ends. In general, the computerillumination processing 40 can be repeatedly performed or performed inan event driven manner.

[0100]FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a computing device 60, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention. By way of example, thecomputing device 60 may correspond to the chameleonic electronic device10 shown in FIG. 1. The computing device 60 generally includes a varietyof computer components 62, which as an example may correspond to theelectrical components 18 in FIG. 1. The computer components 62 aregenerally configured to process, retrieve and store data associated withthe computing device 60. By way of example, the computer components 62may include a CPU (central processing unit), I/O controllers, displaycontrollers, memory and the like. The computer components may alsoinclude operating systems, utility programs, application programs and/orthe like.

[0101] The computing device 60 also includes an event monitor 64operatively coupled to the computer components 62. The event monitor 64is configured to track specific data through the computer components.For example, the event monitor 64 may be configured to track input data66 and/or output data 68. Although shown outside the computercomponents, the input data and output data may correspond to internalinputs and outputs generated between individual parts of the computercomponents as well as to external inputs and outputs generated outsidethe computer components. By way of example, interior inputs/outputs mayrelate to data that is passed between a CPU and an I/O controller, andexterior inputs/outputs may relate to data that is passed between an I/Ocontroller and an I/O device such as a keyboard, mouse, printer and thelike. In one embodiment, the event monitor is part of the functionalityprovided by the computer components. For example, the event monitor maybe included in the CPU. In another embodiment, the event monitorprovides functionality independent of the computer components. Forexample, the event monitor may be a separate processor chip that isconnected to a chip housing the CPU.

[0102] The computing device 60 also includes a light effect manager 70operatively coupled to the event monitor 64. The light effect manager 70is configured to direct light control signals to a light arrangement 72,and more particularly to a plurality of light elements 74 disposedinside a housing. The light control signals are generally based on theevents tracked by the event monitor 64. That is, as events are processedby the computer components 62, the light effect manager 70 directs lightcontrol signals to the light elements 74. The light control signalscarry illumination characteristics pertaining to the desired lighteffect that each of the light elements is to provide at the housing.That is, the light control signals sent to each of the light elementsmay cause the light elements to emit the same light effect (e.g., allemitting green light at the same intensity) or a different light effect(e.g., one element emitting green light while another emits blue light).These light elements 74 work together to produce a light effect thatdynamically changes the ornamental appearance of the housing.

[0103] In one embodiment, the light effect manger 70 is configured todetermine illumination characteristics based on the specific events (ordata) monitored and the corresponding predetermined configurationinformation. As explained earlier, predetermined configurationinformation relates to information that is selected by a user andstored. In one embodiment, the light effect manager 70 is part of thefunctionality provided by the computer components 62. For example, thelight effect manager 70 may be included in the processor chip of thecomputing device 60 that also includes the CPU. In another embodiment,the light effect manager 70 provides functionality independent of thecomputer components. For example, the light effect manager 70 may be aseparate processor chip that is connected to a separate chip housing theCPU.

[0104]FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a computer system 100, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention. By way of example, thecomputer system 100 may correspond to the electronic device 10 shown inFIG. 1. The computing system 100 generally includes a processor 102(e.g., CPU or microprocessor) configured to execute instructions and tocarry out operations associated with the computer system 100. By way ofexample, the processor 102 may execute instructions under the control ofan operating system or other software.

[0105] The computing system 100 also includes an input/output (I/O)controller 104 that is operatively coupled to the processor 102. The I/Ocontroller 104 is generally configured to control interactions with oneor more I/O devices 106 that can be coupled to the computing system 100.The I/O controller 104 generally operates by exchanging data between thecomputing system 100 and the I/O devices 106 that desire to communicatewith the computing system 100. In some cases, the I/O devices 106 may beconnected to the I/O controller 104 through wired connections such asthrough wires or cables. In other cases, the I/O devices 106 may beconnected to the I/O controller 104 through wireless connections. By wayof example, the I/O devices 106 may be internal or peripheral devicessuch as memory, disk drives, keyboards, mice, printers, scanners,speakers, video cameras, MP3 players and the like. The I/O devices 106may also be net network cards or modems.

[0106] The computing system 100 additionally includes a displaycontroller 108 that that is operatively coupled to the processor 102.The display controller 108 is configured to process display commands toproduce text and graphics on a display device 110. By way of example,the display 110 may be a monochrome display, color graphics adapter(CGA) display, enhanced graphics adapter (EGA) display,variable-graphics-array (VGA) display, super VGA display, liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), cathode ray tube (CRT), plasma displays and the like.

[0107] The computing system 100 further includes a light sourcecontroller 112 that is operatively coupled to the processor 102. Thelight source controller 112 generally provides processing of lightcommands from the processor 102 to produce light 116 in a controlledmanner via a light source 114. By way of example, the light source 114may be one or more light emitting diodes (LED), light emittingsemiconductor dies, lasers, incandescent light bulbs, fluorescent lightbulbs, neon tubes, liquid crystal displays (LCD), and the like, that arearranged to produce light and more particularly colored light. The lightsource 114 is generally disposed inside an enclosure 120 that covers andprotects some aspect of the computing system 100. More particularly, theenclosure 120 can cover and protect one or more computer componentshaving functionality used in the operation of the computing system 100.By way of example, the enclosure 120 may be configured to cover one ormore of the components described above. The enclosure 120 generallyincludes a wall 122 that is configured for transmitting lighttherethrough. As such, at least a portion of the light 116, which ismade incident on the wall 122 via the light source 114, passes throughthe wall 122, thereby producing a light effect 124 that alters thevisual appearance of the enclosure 120 and thus the visual appearance ofthe computing system 100.

[0108] Light effects are generally defined as the way in which the light116, produced by the light source 114 and controlled by the light sourcecontroller 112, acts or influences the enclosure 120. Metaphoricallyspeaking, the enclosure is the canvas, the light is the paint, and thelight effect is the painting. Accordingly, in some cases, the lighteffect is arranged to cover the entire wall 122 while in other cases,the light effect is arranged to cover only a portion of the wall 122.

[0109] Light effects may be categorized as static (non-changing overtime) or dynamic (changing over time). By way of example, static lighteffects may cause the enclosure to continuously exude a fixed color suchas blue, a fixed shade of a color such as light blue, a fixed pattern orartistic design such as rainbow, stripes, dots, flowers and the like, ora fixed orientation such as a color or pattern located in a specificregion of the enclosure. In addition, dynamic light effects may causethe enclosure to exude different colors, intensities or patterns atdifferent times and in different orientations. That is, the coloration,intensities, patterns and position thereof may vary. For example,dynamic light effects may include light effects that change at leastpartially from a first color, intensity or pattern to a second color,intensity or pattern (e.g., from red to blue to light blue to rainbow,blinking on and off or fading in and out), that change regionally aroundthe enclosure (e.g., moving from a first side to a second side of theenclosure, moving from center to outer, moving around the enclosure in acontinuous fashion, a pattern that starts at a certain point on theenclosure and radiates out, etc.), or any combination thereof.

[0110] In one embodiment, computer illumination processing may beperformed by the computer system when events associated with thecomputer system occur in or outside the system. The illuminationprocessing generally provides the computer system with an illuminationeffect, as for example, the illumination of a housing associated withthe computer system. In general, illumination processing includesmonitoring events associated with the computer system (e.g., software orhardware) and controlling the light source based on the monitored eventsso as to provide a housing associated with the computer system with anornamental appearance corresponding to the monitored event. The eventsbeing monitored are generally identified by an operating system or amicroprocessor utilized within the computer system. The events can takemany forms such as operating system events or microprocessor events. Byway of example, the events may relate to signals, conditions or statusof the computer system. Examples of illumination processing aredescribed in greater detail in a co-pending patent application entitled,“COMPUTING DEVICE WITH DYNAMIC ORNAMENTAL APPEARANCE”; (Attorney DocketNo.: APL1P218), filed on even date and incorporated herein by reference.

[0111] Although not shown in FIG. 5, the computer system may includeother components such as buses, bridges, connectors, wires, memory, andthe like. As is generally well known, buses provide a path for data totravel between components of the computer system 100. In addition,bridges serve to perform adjustments necessary to bridge communicationbetween different buses, i.e., various buses follow different standards.Further, memory provides a place to hold data that is being used by thecomputer system. By way of example, memory may be a Read-Only Memory(ROM) or a Random-Access Memory (RAM). RAM typically provides temporarydata storage for use by at least the processor 102, and ROM typicallystores programming instructions for use with the processor 102.

[0112] In one embodiment, the illumination characteristics of the lightsystem that produce the light effects may be determined by predeterminedconfiguration information stored in a database, i.e., the computersystem consults the information held in the database in order todetermine the illumination characteristics. Illumination characteristicsgenerally refer to how a housing associated with the computer isilluminated to produce an ornamental appearance (e.g., which lights areoperated, how long the light sources are operated, what color the lightsource output, etc.). The predetermined configuration information storedin the database may be accessed by a user through a light control menu,which may be viewed on a display screen as part of a GUI interface. Thelight control menu may include light control settings pertaining to theillumination characteristics. In fact, the light control menu may serveas a control panel for reviewing and/or customizing the light controlsettings, i.e., the user may quickly and conveniently review the lightcontrol settings and make changes thereto. Once the user saves thechanges, the modified light control settings will be employed (e.g., aspredetermined configuration information) to handle future illuminationprocessing.

[0113] Referring now to FIGS. 6-10, the placement of the enclosure 120relative to the components described above will be described in greaterdetail. In one embodiment, the enclosure 120 is configured to cover theentire computer system described above. For example, in FIG. 6, theenclosure 120 is configured to cover the processor 102, the I/Ocontroller 104, the I/O device 106, the display controller 108, thedisplay 110, the light controller 112 and the light source 114.

[0114] In another embodiment, the enclosure 120 is configured to coveronly a portion of the computer system described above. For example, inFIG. 7, the illuminable enclosure 120 is configured to cover theprocessor 102, the I/O controller 104, the display controller 108, thelight controller 112 and the light source 114. In FIG. 8, theilluminable enclosure 120 is configured to cover the display 110 and thelight source 114. In FIG. 9, the illuminable enclosure 120 is configuredto cover a peripheral I/O device (e.g., the I/O device 106) and thelight source 114.

[0115] In yet another embodiment, the enclosure 120 can represent aplurality of enclosures that are configured to separately coverindividual or sets of components of the computer system 100 describedabove. For example, in FIG. 10, a first enclosure 120A is configured tocover the processor 102, the I/O controller 104, an internal I/O device106I, the display controller 108, the light controller 112 and a firstlight source 114A. In addition, a second enclosure 120B is configured tocover the display 110 and a second light source 114B. A third enclosure120C is configured to cover a peripheral I/O device 106P and a thirdlight source 114C. It should be understood that FIGS. 7-10 arerepresentative embodiments and thus not limitations, thus it should berecognized that other configurations of the enclosure(s) may be used.

[0116] In one embodiment, the computer system corresponds to a generalpurpose computer such as an IBM compatible computer or an Applecompatible computer. By way of example, the Apple compatible computermay include different models such as the iMac, G3, G4, Cube, iBook, orTitanium models, which are manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. ofCupertino, Calif.

[0117]FIG. 11 is a perspective diagram of a general purpose computer130, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. By way ofexample, the general purpose computer 130 may correspond to the computersystem 100 shown in FIGS. 7 or 8. The computer 130 generally includes abase 132 and a monitor 134 (or display) operatively coupled to the base132. In the illustrated embodiment, the base 132 and monitor 134 areseparate components, i.e., they each have their own housing. That is,the base 132 includes a base housing 138 and the monitor 134 includes amonitor housing 139. Both housings are configured to enclose variousinternal components associated with operation of the respective devices.In general, the housings 138, 139 serve to surround their internalcomponents at a peripheral region thereof so as to cover and protecttheir internal components from adverse conditions.

[0118] With regards to the base 132, the internal components may beprocessors, controllers, bridges, memory and the like. Often theseinternal components take the format of integrated circuits; however, theinternal components can take various other forms (e.g., circuit boards,cables, fans, power supplies, batteries, capacitors, resistors). Theinternal components may also be various I/O devices such as a harddrive, a disk drive, a modem and the like. The base 132 may also includea plurality of I/O connectors for allowing connection to peripheraldevices such as a mouse, a keyboard, a printer, a scanner, speakers andthe like. In the illustrated embodiment, the base housing 138 serves tosurround at least a processor and a controller. By way of example, thecontroller may be an input/output (I/O) controller, a displaycontroller, a light source controller and/or the like. With regards tothe monitor 134, the internal components may be a display screen. As isgenerally well known, the display screen is used to display thegraphical user interface (including perhaps a pointer or cursor) as wellas other information to a user.

[0119] Inmost cases, the housings 138, 139 include one or more walls142, 143, respectively, that serve to structurally support the internalcomponents in their assembled position within the housings. The walls142, 143 also define the shape or form of the housings, i.e., thecontour of the walls embody the outward physical appearance of thehousings. The contour may be rectilinear, curvilinear or both. In theillustrated embodiment, the base housing 138 includes six (6)rectangular and planar walls that form a box-shaped housing. It shouldbe understood, however, that this is not a limitation and that the formand shape of the housings may vary according to the specific needs ordesign of each computer system. By way of example, the housing may beformed in simple shapes such as a cube, a cylinder, a pyramid, a cone,or a sphere, or in complex shapes such as a combination of simple shapesor an object such as an apple, a house, a car or the like.

[0120] In one embodiment, the base housing 138 includes at least onelight passing wall configured to allow the passage of light. In mostcases, the light passing wall constitutes a significant percentage areaof the housing. In the illustrated embodiment, the entire housing 138 isilluminable and thus all six of the rectangular and planar walls 142 areconfigured to allow the passage of light. It should be noted, however,that this is not a limitation and that the amount of light passing wallsmay vary according to the specific needs of each computer system. Forexample, the housing may include any number of opaque walls and lightpassing walls. Still further, a light passing wall needed not pass lightover its entire surface. In other words, only a non-trivial portion of awall needs to pass light to be considered a light passing wall. Thelight passing walls are generally formed from a translucent orsemi-translucent medium such as, for example, a clear and/or frostedplastic material.

[0121] For ease of discussion, a portion of the wall 142 has beenremoved to show a light source 140A disposed inside the housing 138. Thelight source 140A is configured to generate light 144A so as toilluminate the interior of the housing 138, and more particularly theinterior of the light passing walls 142. The light 144A, which is madeincident on the interior of the walls 142 by the light source 140A, isthereby transmitted through the walls 142 of the housing 138 to producea light effect 146A that alters the visual appearance of the housing 138and thus the visual appearance of the base 132. That is, the light 144Agenerated inside the housing 138 and passing through the walls 142effectively changes the visual appearance of the housing 138 as seen bya user when looking at the housing 138. By way of example, the lighteffect 146A may cause housing 138 to exude a fixed or varying color orpattern. Although a single light source 140A is shown in FIG. 5, itshould be noted that this is not a limitation and that a plurality oflight sources may be used. For example, individual light sources may bestrategically positioned within the housing 138 so as to illuminatespecific zones or regions of the housing 138.

[0122] In another embodiment, the monitor housing 139 includes at leastone light passing wall configured to allow the passage of light. In mostcases, the light passing wall constitutes a significant percentage areaof the housing. In the illustrated embodiment, the entire housing 139 isilluminable and thus all of its walls 143 are configured to allow thepassage of light. It should be noted, however, that this is not alimitation and that the amount of light passing walls may vary accordingto the specific needs of each computer system. For example, the housingmay include any number of opaque walls and light passing walls. Stillfurther, a light passing wall needed not pass light over its entiresurface. In other words, only a non-trivial portion of a wall needs topass light to be considered a light passing wall. The light passingwalls are generally formed from a translucent or semi-translucent mediumsuch as, for example, a clear and/or frosted plastic material.

[0123] Again, for ease of discussion, a portion of the wall 143 has beenremoved to show a light source 140B disposed inside the housing 139. Thelight source 140B is configured to generate light 144B so as toilluminate the interior of the housing 139, and more particularly theinterior of the light passing walls 143. The light 144B, which is madeincident on the interior of the walls 143 by the light source 140B, isthereby transmitted through the walls 143 of the housing 139 to producea light effect 146B that alters the visual appearance of the housing 139and thus the visual appearance of the monitor 134. That is, the light144B generated inside the housing 139 and passing through the walls 143effectively changes the visual appearance of the housing 139 as seen bya user when looking at the housing 139. By way of example, the lighteffect 146B may cause housing 139 to exude a fixed or varying color orpattern. Although a single light source 140B is shown in FIG. 5, itshould be noted that this is not a limitation and that a plurality oflight sources may be used. For example, individual light sources may bestrategically positioned within the housing 139 so as to illuminatespecific zones or regions of the housing 139.

[0124]FIG. 12 is a perspective diagram of a general purpose computer150, in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. By way ofexample, the general purpose computer 150 may correspond to the computersystem shown in FIGS. 7 or 8. The general purpose computer 150 includesan all in one machine 151 that integrates the base and monitor of FIG. 9into a single housing 152. The housing 152 is generally configured toenclose various internal components associated with operation of thecomputer 150. In general, the housing 152 serves to surround theinternal components at a peripheral region thereof so as to cover andprotect the internal components from adverse conditions. In oneembodiment, the housing 152 includes a plurality of cases 164 thatcooperate to form the housing 152. Any number of cases may be used. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the cases 164 consist of a bottom case 164A,a top case 164B and a front case 164C.

[0125] The internal components may be processors, controllers, bridges,memory and the like. Often these internal components take the format ofintegrated circuits; however, the internal components can take variousother forms (e.g., circuit boards, cables, fans, power supplies,batteries, capacitors, resistors). In the illustrated embodiment, thehousing 152 serves to surround at least a processor and a controller. Byway of example, the controller may be an input/output (I/O) controller,a display controller, a light source controller and/or the like. Theinternal components may also be various I/O devices such as a harddrive, a disk drive, a modem and the like. For example, as shown, thecomputer 150 may include a disk drive 166 and a display 168. The diskdrive 166 is used to store and retrieve data via a disk. The display 168is used to display the graphical user interface (including perhaps apointer or cursor) as well as other information to the user. The all inone machine 151 may also include a plurality of I/O connectors forallowing connection to peripheral devices such as a mouse, a keyboard, aprinter, a scanner, speakers and the like. By way of example, thecomputer system 150 may include I/O port connectors for connection toperipheral components such as a keyboard 170 and a mouse 172. Thekeyboard 170 allows a user of the computer 150 to enter alphanumericdata. The mouse 172 allows a user to move an input pointer on agraphical user interface and to make selections on the graphical userinterface.

[0126] In most cases, the housing 152 includes one or more walls 156that serve to structurally support the internal components in theirassembled position within the housing. The walls 156 also define theshape or form of the housing, i.e., the contour of the walls embody theoutward physical appearance of the housing. The contour may berectilinear, curvilinear or both.

[0127] In one embodiment, the housing 152 includes one or more lightpassing walls having light passing portions, which are configured toallow the passage of light. The light passing portions may be an edge ofthe wall or a surface of the wall. The light passing portions mayconstitute the an entire wall or a portion of a wall, i.e., a lightpassing wall need not pass light over its entire surface. In otherwords, only a non-trivial portion of a wall needs to pass light to beconsidered a light passing wall. In most cases, the light passingportions constitute a significant percentage area of the light passingwall. For example, the amount of light passing area is generallydetermined by the amount of light needed to pass through the housing inorder to effectively change the appearance of the housing so that a userfeels differently about the device (e.g., not an indicator). Anysuitable arrangement of light passing walls, light passing portions andopaque walls may be used so long as the outward appearance of the systemchanges.

[0128] In the illustrated embodiment, the walls 156′ provided by the topcase 164 are light passing walls, which are illuminated with light froma light source 154 disposed inside the housing 152. For ease ofdiscussion, a portion of the wall 156′ has been removed to show thelight source 154 disposed therein. The light source 154 is configured togenerate light 160 so as to illuminate the interior of the housing 152,and more particularly the interior of the wall 156′. In general, thelight 160, which is made incident on the wall 156′ by the light source154, is transmitted through the wall 156′ to produce a light effect 162that alters the visual appearance of the housing 152 and thus the visualappearance of the computer system 150. That is, the light 160 generatedinside the housing 152 and passing through the wall 156′ effectivelychanges the visual appearance of the housing 152 as seen by a user whenlooking at the housing 152.

[0129] The light source 154 is operatively coupled to a light sourcecontroller (not shown) that cooperates with the light source 154 toproduce the light 160. In general, the light source 154 provides thelight 160 for illuminating the housing 152, and more particularly thewall 156, and the light source controller provides processing of lightcommands to produce the light in a controlled manner. In someimplementations, the light 160 is arranged to produce the light effect162 at a surface 174 of the wall 156. In other implementations, thelight 160 is arranged to produce the light effect 162 at an edge 176 ofthe wall 156. In yet other implementations, the light 160 is arranged toproduce a light effect 162 at both the surface 174 and the edge 176 ofthe wall 156.

[0130] To elaborate further, according to one embodiment, the lightsource 154 is generally configured to include at least one lightemitting diode (LED). LED's offer many advantages over other lightsources. For example, LED's are relatively small devices that are energyefficient and long lasting. LED's also run relatively cool and are lowin cost. Furthermore, LED's come in various colors such as white, blue,green, red and the like. In most cases, the light source 154 includes aplurality of LED's that cooperate to produce the desired light effect.The plurality of LED's may be a plurality of individual LED's or aplurality of integrated LED arrays having a plurality of individualLED's that are grouped together.

[0131] In one embodiment, the individual LED's, whether by themselves orgrouped together in an array, are the same color. As such, the samecolored LED's can produce a light effect 162 that is one color or atleast one shade of one color. This typically can be done bysimultaneously maintaining the same light intensity for all of the LED'svia the light source controller. The same colored LED's can also producea light effect 162 that has a varying coloration. This typically can beaccomplished by simultaneously adjusting the light intensities for allof the LED's at the same time via the light source controller. By way ofexample, this can be done to produce a light effect that blinks or fadesin and out.

[0132] The same colored LED's can also produce a light effect that has apattern with a plurality of different shades of one color. This istypically accomplished by maintaining different light intensities fordifferent LED's via the light source controller. For example, LED'spositioned in a first spatial zone, i.e., a first area of theilluminable housing 152, can produce a first shade of color (a firstlight intensity) and LED's positioned in a second spatial zone, i.e., asecond area of the illuminable housing 152, can produce a second shadeof color (a second light intensity). By way of example, the spatiallyzoned LED's can produce a light effect having stripes, spots, quadrantsand the like. The same colored LED's can also produce a light effect 162that has a varying pattern. This is typically accomplished by activatingLED's at different times or by adjusting the intensities of LED's atdifferent times via the light source controller. For example, samecolored LED's positioned in a first spatial zone can produce a color ata first time and same colored LED's positioned in a second spatial zonecan produce a color at a second time. By way of example, the spatiallyzoned LED's can produce a light effect that alternates or moves betweendifferent zones.

[0133] In another embodiment, at least a portion of the individualLED's, whether by themselves or grouped together in an array, aredifferent colors. As such, the different colored LED's can produce alight effect that is a particular color or at least a shade of aparticular color. This typically can be accomplished by mixing differentcolors of light to produce a resultant color of light via the lightsource controller. The different colored LED's can also produce a lighteffect 162 that has a varying coloration. This typically can beaccomplished by adjusting the intensity of the different colored LED'svia the light source controller. By way of example, this can be done toproduce a light effect that changes from a first color to a second color(e.g., from blue to green).

[0134] The different colored LED's can also produce a light effect 162that has a pattern with a plurality of colors. This typically can beaccomplished by activating different colored LED's or LED arrays, whichare located at various locations about the computer system, via thelight source controller. For example, LED's or LED arrays positioned ina first spatial zone, i.e., a first area of the illuminable housing 152,can produce a first color and LED's positioned in a second spatial zone,i.e., a second area of the illuminable housing 152, can produce a secondcolor. By way of example, the spatially zoned LED's can produce a lighteffect having rainbow stripes, different colored spots, differentcolored quadrants and the like. The different colored LED's can alsoproduce a light effect 162 that has a changing pattern. This istypically accomplished by activating different colored LED's atdifferent times or by adjusting the intensities of different coloredLED's at different times via the light source controller. The differentcolored LED's may be in the same spatial zone or a different spatialzone. For example, LED's positioned in a first spatial zone can producea first colored light at a first time and LED's positioned in a secondspatial zone can produce a second colored light at a second time. Thiscan be done in a specific sequence (e.g., red, blue, red, blue, red,blue . . . ) or a random sequence (e.g., green, yellow, red, yellow,blue . . . ).

[0135]FIG. 13 is a simplified diagram of an integrated LED array 180, inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention. By way of example, theintegrated LED array 180 (or a plurality of LED arrays 180) maycorrespond to the light source 154 described in FIG. 11. The integratedLED array 180 generally includes a plurality of individual LED's 182that produce an overall light effect that is one color at a moment intime. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the individual LED's 182represents a different color, as for example, a red LED 182A, a greenLED 182B and a blue LED 182C, that cooperate to produce a resultantcolor C. It is generally believed that these three colors are theprimary colors of light and therefore they can be mixed to producealmost any color. That is, the resultant color C may be a wide range ofcolors, as for example, a majority of the colors from the colorspectrum. Although only one LED is shown for each color, it should benoted that this is not a requirement and that the number may varyaccording to the specific needs of each device.

[0136] To facilitate discussion, FIG. 14A is a three dimensionalgraphical representation showing color mixing with regards to the red,green and blue LED's (182A-C). As shown, red light produced by the redLED 182A is designated R, green light produced by the green LED 182B isdesignated G, and blue light produced by the blue LED 182C is designatedB. Furthermore, mixed light produced by the red and green LED's 182A&Bis designated RG, mixed light produced by the green and blue LED's182B&C is designated GB, and mixed light produced by the blue and redLED's 182A&C is designated BR. Moreover, mixed light produced by thered, green and blue LED's 182A-C is designated W (for white).

[0137] Referring now to FIG. 14B (a two dimensional graphicalrepresentation showing color mixing with regards to the red, green andblue LED's 182A-C) each of the colors has a range of intensities (I)between a peak intensity 192 and a zero intensity 194. As such, thelight source controller can produced almost any color by adjusting theintensity (I) of each of the LED's (182A-C). By way of example, in orderto produce the highest shade of red R, the intensities of the green Gand blue B are reduced to zero intensity 194 and the intensity of thered R is increased to its peak intensity 192. The highest shades ofgreen and blue can be implemented in a similar manner. In addition, inorder to produce a shade of red and green RG, the intensities of thegreen G and red R are increased to levels above zero intensity 194 whilethe intensity of blue B is reduced to zero intensity 194. Shades ofgreen and blue GB and blue and red BR can be implemented in a similarmanner. Furthermore, in order to produce shades of white, theintensities of the red R, green G and blue B are increased to the samelevels above zero intensity 194.

[0138] Although the integrated LED array 180 is shown and described asusing the three primary colors, it should be noted that this is not alimitation and that other combinations may be used. For example, theintegrated LED array may be configured to include only two of theprimary colors.

[0139]FIG. 15 is a perspective diagram of a computer system 210, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. By way ofexample, the computer system 210 may generally correspond to thecomputer 150 of FIG. 12. The computer system 210 generally includes anilluminable housing 212 that is illuminated with light from a lightsource 214 disposed therein. The illuminable housing 212 generallyincludes a translucent or semi-translucent wall 216 configured to allowthe passage of light. For ease of discussion, a portion of the wall 216has been removed to show the light source 214 disposed therein. Thelight source 214 is generally configured to generate light 218 so as toilluminate a surface of the wall 216 of the illuminable housing 212.That is, the light 218 emitted by the light source 214 is made incidenton an inner surface 220 of the wall 216. The light 218 then passesthrough the wall 216 (width wise) to an outer surface 222 of the wall216 where it produces a light effect 224 that alters the visualappearance of the wall 216 and thus the visual appearance of thecomputer system 210.

[0140] In one embodiment, a characteristic glow is produced at the outersurface 222 of the wall 216 when the light 218 is transmitted throughthe wall 216. By characteristic glow, it is meant that the coloration ofthe wall 216 emanates from the wall 216 rather than from the lightsource 214, i.e., the light 218 is altered during transmission throughthe wall 216. In most cases, the characteristic glow is produced by alight directing element disposed in or on the wall 216. The lightdirecting element is generally configured to scatter incident light byreflection and/or refraction.

[0141] To facilitate discussion, FIG. 16 is a top view, in crosssection, of the computer system 210 shown in FIG. 15, in accordance withone embodiment of the invention. As shown, the light source 214 consistsof a plurality of light emitting diodes 226 (LED's) that are disposed atvarious positions inside the illuminable housing 212. The LED's 226 maybe a single LED 226A or an LED array 226B. The LED's 226 may bepositioned in various directions so long as the light 218 is madeincident on the inner surface 220 of the wall 216. For example, the axisof the LED's 226 may be pointing directly at the inner surface 220 orthey may be pointing at an angle relative to the inner surface 220.Furthermore, the wall 216 is configured to transmit the light 218therethrough from the inner surface 220 to an outer surface 222. By wayof example, the wall 216 may be formed from a translucent orsemitranslucent plastic such as polycarbonate, acrylic and the like. Inmost cases, the wall 216 is also configured to scatter the transmittedlight to produce a characteristic glow 228 that emanates from the outersurface 222 of the wall 216. For instance, the wall 216 may include alight directing element 230 (shown by dotted line) that scatters thelight via reflection and/or refraction.

[0142] In one embodiment, the light directing element 230 is an additivethat is disposed inside the wall 216. Referring to FIG. 17A, forexample, the wall 216 may include a plurality of light scatteringparticles 232 (e.g., additives) dispersed between the inner surface 220and outer surface 222 of the wall 216. As shown, when the light 218 ismade incident on the inner surface 220, it is transmitted through thewall 216 until is intersects a light scattering particle 232 disposedinside the wall 216. After intersecting the light scattering particle232, the light 218 is scattered outwards in a plurality of directions,i.e., the light is reflected off the surface and/or refracted throughthe light scattering particle thereby creating the characteristic glow228. By way of example, the light scattering particles 232 may be formedfrom small glass particles or white pigments. Furthermore, by changingthe amount of light scattering particles 232 disposed in the wall 216,the characteristics of the glow can be altered, i.e., the greater theparticles the greater the light scattering.

[0143] In another embodiment, the light directing element 230 is alayer, coating or texture that is applied to the inner or outer surface220, 222 of the wall 216. Referring to FIGS. 17B and 17C, for example,the wall 216 may include a light scattering coating 234 or a lightscattering texture 236 disposed on the inner surface 220 of the wall216. By way of example, the light scattering coating 234 may be a paint,film or spray coating. In addition, the light scattering texture 236 maybe a molded surface of the wall or a sandblasted surface of the wall. Asshown, when light 218 is made incident on the inner surface 220, itintersects the light scattering coating 234 or texture applied on theinner surface 220 of the wall 216. After intersecting the lightscattering coating 234 or the light scattering texture 236, the light218 is scattered outwards in a plurality of directions, i.e., the lightis reflected off the surface and/or refracted through the lightscattering particle thereby creating the characteristic glow 228.

[0144] Although not shown, in another embodiment, the thickness of thewall may be altered so as to produce a light scattering effect. It isgenerally believed that the greater the thickness, the greater the lightscattering effect.

[0145]FIG. 18 is a perspective diagram of a computer system 240, inaccordance with another embodiment of the present invention. By way ofexample, the computer system 240 may generally correspond to thecomputer 150 of FIG. 12. The desktop computer system 240 generallyincludes an illuminable housing 242 that is illuminated with light froma light source 244 disposed therein. The illuminable housing 242generally includes a translucent or semi-translucent wall 246 configuredto allow the passage of light. For ease of discussion, a portion of thewall 246 has been removed to show the light source 244 disposed therein.The light source 244 is generally configured to generate light 248 so asto illuminate an edge of the wall 246 of the illuminable housing 242.That is, the light 248 emitted by the light source 244 is made incidenton an inner edge 250 of the wall 246. The light is then directed throughthe wall 246 (length wise) to an outer edge 252 of the wall 246 where itproduces a light effect 254 that alters the visual appearance of thewall 246 and thus the visual appearance of the computer system 240. Inessence, the wall 246 acts like a light pipe that is configured fortransferring or transporting light. Light pipes are generally well knownin the art.

[0146] To facilitate discussion, FIG. 19 is a top view, in crosssection, of the computer system 240 shown in FIG. 14, in accordance withone embodiment of the invention. As shown, the light source 244 consistsof a plurality of light emitting diodes 256 (LED's) that are disposed atvarious positions inside the illuminable housing 242. The LED's 256 maybe a single LED or an LED array. The LED's 256 may be positioned invarious directions so long as the light 248 is made incident on theinner edge 250 of the wall 246. For example, the axis of the LED's 256may be pointing directly at the inner edge 250 or they may be pointingat an angle relative to the inner edge 250. Furthermore, the wall 246 isconfigured to transmit the light 248 therethrough from the inner edge250 to the outer edge 252 to produce the light effect 254 that emanatesfrom the outer edge 252 of the wall 246. By way of example, the wall 246may be formed from a translucent or semi-translucent plastic such aspolycarbonate, acrylic and the like. In some cases, the wall 246 mayinclude light directing portions 258, 259 that cause the light toreflect back and forth until it exits the outer edge 252.

[0147]FIG. 20 is a perspective diagram of a computer system 260, inaccordance with another embodiment of the present invention. By way ofexample, the computer system 260 may generally correspond to thecomputers 150, 210 and 240 of FIGS. 12, 15 and 18, respectively. Thedesktop computer system 260 generally includes an illuminable housing262 that is illuminated with light from a light source 264 disposedtherein. The illuminable housing 262 generally includes a translucent orsemi-translucent wall 266 configured to allow the passage of light. Forease of discussion, a portion of the wall 266 has been removed to showthe light source 264 disposed therein. The light source 264 is generallyconfigured to generate light 268 so as to illuminate both a surface andan edge of the wall 266 of the illuminable housing 262. That is, thelight 268 emitted by the light source 264 is made incident on an innersurface 270 and/or an inner edge 272 of the wall 266. The light is thendirected through the wall 266 to an outer surface 274 and an outer edge276 of the wall 266 where it produces a light effect 278A and 278B thatalters the visual appearance of the wall 266 and thus the visualappearance of the computer system 260.

[0148] In one embodiment, the light 268 emitted by the light source 264is made incident on both the inner edge 272 and inner surface 270 of thewall 266 via a plurality of LED's or LED arrays. Referring to FIG. 21A,for example, the light source 264 includes at least a first LED 279 anda second LED 280. The first LED 279 is configured to generate a firstlight 282 so as to illuminate a surface of the wall 266 of theilluminable housing 262 and the second LED 280 is configured to generatea second light 284 so as to illuminate an edge of the wall 266 of theilluminable housing 262. With regards to the first LED 278, the firstlight 282 is first made incident on the inner surface 270 of the wall266 and then it is directed through the wall 266 (width wise) to theouter surface 274 of the wall 266 where it produces the light effect278A. With regards to the second LED 280, the second light 284 is firstmade incident on the inner edge 272 of the wall 266 and then it isdirected through the wall 266 (length wise) to an outer edge 276 of thewall 266 where it produces the light effect 278B. As should beappreciated, the light effect 278A alters the visual appearance of thesurface of the wall 266, while light effect 278B alters the visualappearance of the edge of the wall 266.

[0149] In another embodiment, the light 268 emitted by the light source264 is made incident on both the inner edge 272 and the inner surface270 of the wall 266 via an offset LED. Referring to FIG. 21B, forexample, the light source 264 includes an LED 290 that is offsetrelative to the wall 266 and that generates light 292 so as toilluminate a surface and an edge of the wall 266 of the illuminablehousing 262. That is, the light 292 emitted by the LED 290 is madeincident on both the inner surface 270 and the inner edge 272 of thewall 266. As such, a first portion of the light 290 is directed throughthe wall 266 (width wise) to the outer surface 274 of the wall 266 whereit produces the light effect 278A that alters the visual appearance ofthe surface of the wall 266. In addition, a second portion of the light290 is directed through the wall 266 (length wise) to the outer edge 276of the wall 266 where it produces a light effect 278B that alters thevisual appearance of the edge of the wall 266.

[0150] In another embodiment, the wall 266 includes light scatteringparticles and the light 268 emitted by the light source 264 is madeincident on the inner edge 276 via an LED. Referring to FIG. 21C, forexample, the wall 266 includes a plurality of light scattering particles294 disposed between the inner and outer surfaces 270, 274 and the innerand outer edges 272, 276. Furthermore, the light source 264 includes anLED 296 configured to generate light 298 so as to illuminate a surfaceand an edge of the wall 266 of the illuminable housing 262. The light298 emitted by the LED 296 is made incident on an inner edge 272 of thewall 266. The light 298 is then directed through the wall 266 (lengthwise) to an outer edge 276 of the wall 266 where it produces the lighteffect 278B that alters the visual appearance of the surface of the wall266. As shown, the light 298 also intersects the light scatteringparticle 294 during transmission therethrough and thus a portion of thelight 298 is scattered outwards in a plurality of directions where itproduces the light effect 278A that also alters the visual appearance ofthe surface of the wall 266.

[0151] In another embodiment, the wall 266 can include a lightscattering coating and the light 268 emitted by the light source 264 ismade incident on an inner edge 272 via an LED. Referring to FIG. 21D,for example, the wall 266 includes a light scattering coating 300 thatis applied to the inner surface 270. Furthermore, the light source 264includes an LED 302 configured to generate light 304 so as to illuminatea surface and edge of the wall 266 of the illuminable housing 262. Thelight 304 emitted by the LED 302 is made incident on the inner edge 272of the wall 266. The light 304 is then directed through the wall 266(length wise) to an outer edge 276 of the wall 266 where it produces thelight effect 278B that alters the visual appearance of the edge of thewall 266. As shown, the light 304 also intersects the light scatteringcoating 300 during transmission through the wall and thus a portion ofthe light 304 is scattered outwards in a plurality of directions whereit produces the light effect 278A that also alters the visual appearanceof the surface of the wall 266.

[0152]FIG. 22 is a perspective diagram of a computer system 310, inaccordance with another embodiment of the present invention. By way ofexample, the computer system 310 may generally correspond to thecomputer 150 of FIG. 12. The desktop computer system 310 generallyincludes an illuminable housing 312 that is illuminated with light froman illuminated object 314 disposed therein. The illuminable housing 312generally includes a translucent or semi-translucent wall 316 configuredto allow the passage of light. In the illustrated embodiment, theilluminated object 314 is seen through the translucent orsemi-translucent wall 316. That is, the illuminated object 314 generatesa first light effect (not shown) that is transmitted through a surfaceof the wall 316 to produce a second light effect 320 that alters thevisual appearance of the computer system 310. As should be appreciated,the shape of the light effect 320 typically corresponds to the shape ofthe illuminated object 314. By way of example, the illuminated object314 may take on a variety of shapes including simple shapes such assquares and circles or more complex shapes such as an apple (as shown).

[0153] To facilitate discussion, FIG. 23 is a top view, in crosssection, of the computing device 310 shown in FIG. 22, in accordancewith one embodiment of the invention. As shown, the illuminated object314 is disposed inside the illuminable housing 312. The illuminatedobject 314 is generally positioned adjacent to the wall 316 of theilluminable housing 312. It should be noted, however, that this is not alimitation and that the illuminated object 314 may be positioned atother locations inside the housing 312. For example, the illuminatedobject 314 may be placed towards the center of the housing 312.Furthermore, the illuminated object 314 may be positioned in variousdirections so long as a first light effect 322 is made incident on aninner surface 324 of the wall 316. For example, the axis of theilluminated object may be pointing directly at the inner surface 324 orthey may be pointing at an angle relative to the inner surface 324.

[0154] Furthermore, the wall 316 is configured to transmit the lighteffect 322 therethrough from the inner surface 324 to an outer surface326, i.e., the wall provides a window for passing the first light effecttherethrough. By way of example, the wall 316 may be formed from atranslucent or semi-translucent plastic such as polycarbonate, acrylicand the like. Accordingly, the first light effect 322 that passesthrough the wall 316 effectively changes the appearance of the computingdevice 310. In some cases, the wall 316 may also be configured toscatter the transmitted light effect to produce a characteristic glowthat emanates from the outer surface of the wall 316. That is, the wall316 may include a light directing element that scatters the light viareflection and/or refraction.

[0155] To elaborate further, the illuminated object 314 generallyincludes a light source 330 and a casing 332. The casing 332, whichtypically forms the shape of the illuminated object 314, includes acasing wall 334 that is configured to cover at least a portion of thelight source 330. In the illustrated embodiment, the light source 330consists of a plurality of light emitting diodes 336 (LED's) that aredisposed at various positions inside the casing 332. The LED's 336 maybe a single LED or an LED array. The LED's 336 are generally configuredto generate light 338 so as to illuminate the casing wall 334. As such,the LED's 336 may be positioned in various directions so long as thelight 338 is made incident on an inner surface of the casing wall 334.Furthermore, the wall 316 is configured to transmit the light 338therethrough from the inner surface to an outer surface. By way ofexample, the wall 334 may be formed from a translucent orsemi-translucent plastic such as polycarbonate, acrylic and the like. Inmost cases, the casing wall 334 is configured to scatter the transmittedlight to produce a characteristic glow that emanates from the outersurface of the casing wall 334. For instance, the casing wall 334 mightinclude a light directing element that scatters the light via reflectionand/or refraction.

[0156]FIG. 24 is a side view of a light source arrangement 380, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. By way ofexample, the light source arrangement 380 may generally correspond toany of the light sources (e.g., light emitting devices) described above.The light source arrangement 380 includes a light source 382 and a lightpipe 384. The light source 382 is configured to generate light 383 andthe light pipe 384 is configured to distribute the light 383 tolocations within a housing where it is needed. By way of example, thehousing may correspond to any one of the illuminable housings describedabove. The light pipe 384 generally includes a transmissive portion 386at its interior and a reflective portion 388 at its exterior. Becausethe exterior of the light pipe 384 is reflective, the light 383 reflectsoff the sides of the pipe as it travels through the interior of thelight pipe. Accordingly, when light 383 is made incident on an inneredge 390 of the light pipe it is directed through the light pipe via thetransmissive and reflective portions to an outer edge 392 of the lightpipe where it emits the light to another location positioned away fromthe location of the light source.

[0157] Any suitable light pipe may be used. For example, the light pipemay be rigid or flexible (as shown). Flexible light pipes allow a widerrange of light source positions relative to housing positions. Forexample, the light source may positioned in locations that preventdirect exposure to an illuminable portion of the housing, and thus thelight pipe may be used to distribute the light to the illuminableportions of the housing by bending around components that prevent directexposure (e.g., walls, frames and the like). In one embodiment, thelight source is housed within an opaque portion of the housing, and alight pipe is used to direct light to an illuminable portion of thehousing so as to produce the desired light effect. Furthermore, multiplelight pipes may be used to direct light to a plurality of locationsaround the housing. This may be done with a single light source ormultiple light sources. For example, a single light source may be usedto provide light to a plurality of light pipes, each of which has oneend position proximate the light source and an opposite end positionedin different locations within the housing.

[0158]FIG. 25 is a side view of a light source arrangement 400, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. By way ofexample, the light source arrangement 400 may generally correspond toany of the light sources (e.g., light emitting devices) described above.The light source arrangement 400 includes a light source 402 and a lightguide 404, which is configured to focus light 406 generated by the lightsource 402. The light guide 404, which covers a portion of the lightsource 402, is typically formed from an opaque material such that thelight 406 emanating from the light source 402 is only directed out of anopening 408 formed by the light guide 404. In this manner, the lightexiting the opening has a shaped configuration that is more intense. Theshaped configuration tends to illuminate a smaller portion of thehousing than would otherwise be illuminated. The opening 408 may formany number of shapes. For example, the opening may form a circle, anoval, a square, a rectangle, a triangle, a letter, a logo or any othershape. In this particular embodiment, the light guide 404 is configuredto cover the sides of the light source 402. In some cases, it may bedesirable to use a light guide to block light from reaching lightsensitive areas of the electronic device or to prevent heat sensitiveareas from becoming to hot.

[0159]FIG. 26 is a side view of a light source arrangement 410, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. By way ofexample, the light source arrangement 410 may generally correspond toany of the light sources (e.g., light emitting devices) described above.The light source arrangement 410 includes a light source 412 and a lens414, which is configured to focus light 416 generated by the lightsource 412. The lens 404, which is typically positioned between thelight source 402 and the illuminable wall (not shown), is arranged toreceive light emanating from the light source 402 and to direct thelight to a specific area of the illuminable wall. In this manner, thelight has a shaped configuration that is more intense. As mentionedabove, the shaped configuration tends to illuminate a smaller portion ofthe housing than would otherwise be illuminated.

[0160]FIG. 27 is a top view, in cross section, of a computer system 420,in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. By way ofexample, the computer system 420 may generally correspond to any of thecomputer systems described above. As shown, the computer system 420includes a housing 422 and a light source 424 disposed therein. In theillustrated embodiment, the housing 422 consists of three parts: end cap422A, a body 422B and a front face 422C. The end cap 422A closes off oneside of the body 422B and the front face 422C closes off another side ofthe body 422B. Any suitable arrangement of light passing and lightblocking walls may be used. In the illustrated embodiment, the end cap422A and front face 422C are typically formed from a light blockingmaterial while the body 422B is formed from a material that allows thepassage of light (e.g., translucent or semi-translucent material). Thecomputer system 420 also includes a reflector 426. The reflector 426 ispositioned between the light source 424 (which is located towards theend cap 422A) and the front face 422C. In the illustrated embodiment,the reflector 426 is positioned in front of a display 428. The reflector426 is configured to redirect the light 430 generated by the lightemitting device 424. As shown, the light 430 from the light emittingdevice 424 is reflected off the surface of the reflector 426 to a firstportion 432 of the body 422B. The first portion is defined by B. Thereflected light 431 made incident on the inner surface of the body 422Bis subsequently transmitted through the wall of the body 422B and outthe outer surface of the first portion 432 of the body 422B at theportion 432. Thus, light is prevented from passing through a secondportion 434 of the body 422B.

[0161] Although the principles of FIGS. 24-27 are described singularly,it should be noted that they may be combined in some cases to produceother types of light arrangements. For example, any combination of alight pipe, light guide, light lens and/or a reflector may be used todistribute light within a housing.

[0162]FIG. 28 is a simplified diagram of a chameleonic electronic device440, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. By way ofexample, the chameleonic electronic device 440 may generally correspondto the chameleonic electronic device 10 shown in FIG. 1. The chameleonicelectronic device 440 generally includes a housing 442 that is dividedinto several independent and spatially distinct illuminable zones 444.As shown, the zones 444 are positioned around the periphery of thehousing 442. The periphery may correspond to any portion of the housingsuch as the top, bottom, and sides of the housing. Any number of zonesmay be used. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 442 includes 12illuminable zones 444. Each of the zones 444 has an associated lightelement 446, which is disposed inside the housing 442 proximate the zone444. As should be appreciated, the associated light element 446 isconfigured to light up its corresponding zone 444 so as to change theornamental appearance of the housing. By way of example, the associatedlight element may be an LED array capable of illuminating thecorresponding zone with a plurality of colors (e.g., the LED array mayinclude a red, green and blue LED). As shown, each of the zones 444 isconfigured to provide a light output 448.

[0163] The zones may be configured to produce a variety of ornamentalappearances. In one embodiment, the zones are arranged to produce auniform ornamental appearance. This is generally accomplished by sendingthe same light command signal to each of the light elements. Forexample, each of the zones may produce the same green light output so asto produce a uniform green housing. In another embodiment, the zones arearranged to produce a patterned ornamental appearance. This is generallyaccomplished by sending different light command signals to the lightelements. For example, a first set of alternating zones may produce ared light output, and a second set of alternating zones may produce ablue light output in order to produce a housing with stripes. In anotherembodiment, the zones are arranged to produce a changing ornamentalappearance. This is generally accomplished by sending different lightcommand signals to the light elements at different times. For example,each of the zones may be arranged to activate at different times toproduce a light sequence such as blinking, fading in and out, strobes ormoving from one zone to another.

[0164]FIG. 29 is a broken away diagram of a general purpose computer450, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Thegeneral purpose computer 450 includes a housing 452 which enclosesinternal components 454 associated with operating the general purposecomputer 450. The housing 452, which includes several walls that definethe peripheral form of the housing, is broken away between a top and abottom so as to show the internal components therein. As shown, theinternal components 454 may include a motherboard 456 that supports aCPU 458, RAM 460, ROM 462, a hard drive 464, a disk drive 466, expansionslots and boards 468, and the like. The internal components 454 may alsoinclude a power supply 470 and other associated circuitry such as heatsinks 472 and fans 474 for cooling the internal components 454. Thehousing 452 may also include a plurality of ports 476 for connection toperipheral devices located outside the housing 452. In addition, thehousing 452 may include an indicator 477 and a power switch 478. In somecases, a monitor may be one of the internal components 454.

[0165] The internal components 454 may also include one or more lightemitting diodes (LED's) 480. The LED's 480 are generally configured togenerate light within the housing 452. By way of example, the LED's 480may generate light found within the color spectrum. The light is used tocolorize or patternize the housing 452. This is generally accomplishedby directing the light through illuminable portions of the housing 452.That is, the LED's 480 produce light having a variety or colors andpatterns so as to give the illuminable portions of the housing 452 acolor or pattern. In one embodiment, the illuminable portions arecapable of diffusing the light so that the illuminable portions appearto glow when light is directed therethrough. The LED's 480 may bedisposed centrally, peripherally or both so as to allow the light toreach the illuminable portions of the housing 452. For example, althoughthe LED's 480 are centrally located in FIG. 29, the LED's 480 may bedisposed closer to the walls of the housing 452 so as to circumventlight blocking components contained within the housing 452. The LED's480 may be controlled by a separate processor or by the CPU 458 thatalso controls the operation of the general purpose computer.

[0166] The size of the illuminable portion generally constitutes asubstantial portion of the entire housing 452. By substantial, it ismeant that the area of the illuminable portion is large enough to effectthe overall appearance of the general purpose computer 450 when light ispassed therein. In essence, the LED's are dedicated to altering theappearance of the housing 452 so that people may break free from theneutral-passive colors and patterns that have dominated the housings ofgeneral purpose computers for so long. In one embodiment, theilluminable portion covers the entire housing 452. In anotherembodiment, the illuminable portion covers one or more walls of thehousing 452 (in their entirety). In another embodiment, the illuminableportion covers a part of two or more walls of the housing 452. Inanother embodiment, the illuminable portion covers a significant part ofa wall of the housing 452. In another embodiment, the area of theilluminable portion is substantially larger than any of the switches,connectors or indicators located on the housing 452. These type ofdevices are typically too small to effect the overall appearance of thegeneral purpose computer. That is, they typically do not cover asignificant part of the wall to which they are attached.

[0167] Although FIG. 29 is directed at a general purpose computer, itshould be appreciated that LED's may be placed in other devicesassociated with the general purpose computer. For example, LED's may beplaced in housings of peripheral devices such as input devices (e.g.,mice) or output devices (e.g., speakers) that are connected to thegeneral purpose computer. In the case of input devices, the inputdevices are arranged to serve its primary function of inputting datawhile communicating other data via the LED's. In the case of outputdevices, the output devices are arranged to serve their primary functionof outputting data while communicating other data via the LED's. Ineither case, the LED's may be controlled by the main CPU of the generalpurpose computer or a separate processor of the general purposecomputer.

[0168]FIG. 30 is a block diagram of a computer system 481, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention. This particular embodimentis similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4. For example, the computersystem 481 includes a plurality of the light elements 74A-D. In theillustrated embodiment each of the light elements 74A-D has their ownindividual housing 182A-D. Each of the housings 482A-D includes one ormore light passing walls. In one embodiment, each of the housings 482A-Dcorresponds to different components of the computer system 481. Forexample, housing 482A may be used to house the base components such asprocessors, controllers, memory, internal I/O devices and/or the like;housing 482B may be used to house monitor components such as a displayscreen; housing 482C may be used to house external peripheral I/Odevices such as disk drives, printers, mice, keyboards, speakers and thelike; and housing 482D may be used to house a docking station in thecase of a portable computer.

[0169]FIG. 31 is a perspective diagram of a computer system 500, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. By way ofexample, the computer system 500 may correspond to the computer systemdescribed in FIG. 30. The computer system 500 includes a base 502operatively coupled to a plurality of peripheral devices such as amonitor 504, a keyboard 506, a mouse 508, a speaker 510, an externaldisk drive 512 and a printer 514. Each of these components is configuredwith an illuminable housing, i.e., a housing having at least one lightpassing wall, and a light source disposed therein. As stated throughoutthis document, the light source is configured to generate light forpassing through the light passing wall so as to alter the ornamentalappearance of the light passing wall.

[0170] A light effect manager, such as the light effect manager 70illustrated in FIG. 30, can be used to control and coordinate theornamental appearance of the various illuminable housings. The controland coordination of the ornamental appearance of the various illuminablehousings can be achieved in many different ways.

[0171] In one embodiment, the light source(s) inside the base and thelight source(s) inside the peripheral device are configured to actuatewhen the base is in communication with or processing tasks associatedwith the peripheral device. For example, when the base sends a signal tothe printer, as for example a signal to print a document, the base andthe printer may exude a light effect associated with printing. Inaddition, when the external disk drive sends data to the base, theexternal disk drive and base may exude a light effect associated withdata retrieval. Moreover, when the base is playing music through thespeaker, the base and the speaker may exude a light effect associatedwith outputting audio. In the case of audio, the light effect maycorrespond to the frequency of the audio signal so as to produce a lighteffect that changes with the music or sounds being played. The lighteffect may be different for different devices. For example, the base maybe blue when communicating with the monitor and green when communicatingwith the printer.

[0172]FIG. 32 is a simplified diagram of a computer network 520, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The computernetwork 520 includes a plurality of computer systems 522A-522C which areconnected via a network 524. By way of example, the network mayrepresent a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), Internetand the like, or a combination thereof. The network 524 can also bewired or wireless. The computers 522A-522C may, for example, beconfigured as any of the computers systems discussed above. As should beappreciated, each of the computer systems 522A-522C includes anilluminable housing capable of altering its ornamental appearance vialight.

[0173] The computer system 522A-522C can individually alter theirornamental appearance. Alternatively, the computer systems 522A-222C canhave their ornamental appearance centrally controlled. The centralcontrol can be provided by one of the computer systems 522A-522C oranother computer. In one embodiment, the light source(s) inside each ofthe computer systems 522A-522C are configured to actuate when suchcomputer systems 522A-522C are in communication with or processing tasksassociated with another of the computer system 522A-522C. For example,when the computer system 522A sends or requests information to or fromcomputer system 522B, both systems may exude a specific light effect. Inone implementation, a master light effect manager residing in one of thecomputer systems 522A-522C provides central control over the ornamentalappearance of the computer systems 522A-522C through interaction withslave light effect managers residing in other of the computer systems522A-522C.

[0174]FIG. 33 is a flow diagram of illumination processing 600, inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention. The illuminationprocessing 600 is, for example, performed by a computing device orsystem that includes a display screen. The computing device or systemthat performs the illumination processing 600 can, for example, be thecomputing device or system shown in FIGS. 4-12.

[0175] The illumination processing 600 begins at step 602 byperiodically sampling regions of a display screen so as to acquire colorindicators for each of the regions. After acquiring the colorindicators, the process proceeds to step 604 where the color indicatorsare associated to zones (regions) of a housing corresponding to thecomputing device or system. For example, the housing can pertain to theprimary housing for enclosing a base computer, a screen display, or aperipheral device. In one embodiment, step 604 pertains to a mappingoperation during which the regions of the screen display that weresampled in step 602 are mapped to counterpart zones of the housing.

[0176] After associating the color indicators to the zones, the processproceeds to step 606 where light elements are driven in accordance withthe color indicators associated therewith. These light elements arelocated at the zones of the housing. The driven light elements operateto illuminate the zones of the housing. Following step 606, theillumination processing 600 is complete and ends. However, theillumination processing 600 is typically performed constantly orperiodically such that the light elements can be driven 606 inaccordance with the color indicators acquired from the screen display.

[0177] In one embodiment, the illumination processing 600 mimics thecolors appearing at the regions of the screen display to zones of thehousing. In one example, the regions of the screen display can beassociated with a color configuration, and the regions of the housingcan be provided with the same configuration. This is generally done toextend the feel of the display screen to the housing. For example, ifthe regions of the display screen are blue, then the counterpart zonesof the housing are also blue. In addition, if different regions of thedisplay screen are different colors, then different zones of the housingare also different colors.

[0178]FIG. 34 is a perspective diagram of a display monitor 620, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The displaymonitor 620 includes a housing 622 that is divided into severalindependent and spatially distinct illuminable zones 624. Any number ofzones may be used. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 622includes 16 illuminable zones 624. Each of the zones 624 has anassociated light element (not shown), which is disposed inside thehousing proximate the zone. As should be appreciated, the associatedlight element is configured to light up its corresponding zone. By wayof example, the associated light element may be an LED array capable ofilluminating the corresponding zone with a plurality of colors (e.g.,the LED array may include a red, green and blue LED). In the illustratedembodiment, the zones 624 are positioned around the periphery of thehousing 622, and include portions that are on the front of the monitor620, as well as portions that are on the side of the monitor 620. Itshould be noted, however, that this is not a limitation and that thezones may be configured differently relative to the monitor 620. Forexample, the zones may be positioned in the rear, or only on one side ofthe monitor 620.

[0179] As shown, the housing 622 is configured to structurally support adisplay screen 626 in its assembled position within the housing 622. Theportion of the display screen 626 that is viewed by the user ispositioned in the front of the monitor 320 behind an opening in thehousing 622 as shown. As previously mentioned, the display screen 626 isconfigured to present text and graphics to the user. For example, thedisplay screen may present text and graphics associated with applicationor operating system programs. During illumination processing, as forexample illumination processing 600, regions 628 of the display screen626 are periodically sampled to acquire color indicators. In oneembodiment, the color indicators represent the primary color that isbeing displayed in the region (e.g., several colors may be displayed ina region). For example, if the region is generally seen as blue then thecolor indicator is blue. The color indicators are used to drive thelight elements of the zones 624 as described above. The regions 628 maybe any suitable area inside the display screen. In the illustratedembodiment, the regions 628 are disposed about the outer periphery ofthe display screen 626.

[0180] In one embodiment, the regions 628 of the display screen 626 aremapped to counterpart zones 624 of the housing 622. As such, whenregions of the display screen change so do the counterpart zones. In theillustrated embodiment, there is a sample region 628 for every zone 624.The sample region 628 may correspond to any suitable zone 624. In theillustrated embodiment, however, individual sample regions correspond toindividual zones positioned nearest the location of the individualsample region. For example, sample region 628′ corresponds to zone 624′.Accordingly, when sample region 628′ changes from a first color to asecond color, the counterpart zone 624′ changes from the first color tothe second color.

[0181] In one embodiment, an event monitor such as any one of the eventmonitors described above is used to sample various locations of thedisplay screen 626. The event monitor alerts a light effect manager whena certain graphic is displayed. As such, the light manager can send acontrol signal to a light element to dynamically adjust one or more ofthe zones in accordance with sample. By way of example, and referring toFIG. 35, when the sample region 628′ changes, an event monitor sendsevent information to a light effect manager, and the light effectmanager sends a corresponding control signal to the light element housedbeneath zone 624′ commanding the light element to light up (i.e., thelight element illuminates the zone 624′ with light), thereby changingthe zone 624′ along with the sample region 628′. For example, if thesample region 628′ changes to blue, then the zone 624′ will also changeto blue. It should be noted that changing to the same color is not alimitation and that the zone may be configured to change to colors otherthan the color of the sample region. In one embodiment, the light effectmanager is configured to consult an illumination table containingillumination characteristics before sending the control signal to thelight source.

[0182] By way of another example, FIG. 36 is a perspective diagram ofthe display monitor 620 presenting a first window 640 and a secondwindow 642 over a wallpaper backdrop 644 on the display screen 626. Inthis configuration, some of the sampled regions 628 correspond to thecolors of the first window 640, some of the sampled regions 628correspond to the colors of the second window 642 and the remainingsampled regions correspond to the colors of the wallpaper backdrop 644.In the illustrated embodiment, the individual zones 624 associated withthe different sampled regions 628 are configured to output a similarcolor. For example, sampled regions 628A-E and zones 624A-E located nearsampled regions 628A-E may output a first color such as green, sampledregions 6281-L and zones 624I-L located near sampled regions 628I-L mayoutput a second color such as white, and sampled regions 628F-G&M-P andzones 624F-G&M-P located near sampled regions 628F-G&M-P may output athird color such as blue.

[0183] By way of another example, FIGS. 37A-37F are perspective diagramsof the display monitor 620 of FIG. 36 presenting a video or gamingsequence 650. By way of example, the video may correspond to a moviebeing played on a DVD drive or a game being played on a CD drive. In theillustrated embodiments, the sequence 650 corresponds to a spaceship 652that encounters an asteroid 654 in space 656. This is by way of exampleand not by way of limitation.

[0184]FIG. 37A shows a first sequence where the asteroid 654 andspaceship 652 enter the display screen 626 from opposing sides. As such,sampled region 628A includes the asteroid 654, sampled region 628Hincludes the spaceship 652 and the remaining sampled regions 628B-628Gand 6281-628P include space 656 therein. As a result, the associatedzone 624A exudes a light effect similar to the asteroid 654, theassociated zone 624H exudes a light effect similar to the spaceship 652and the associated zones 624B-624G and 624I-624P exude a light effectsimilar to space 656. For example, zone 624A may be brown to correspondto a brown asteroid, zone 624H may be orange to correspond to an orangespaceship, and zones 624B-624G and 624I-624P may be blue to correspondto blue space.

[0185]FIG. 37B shows a second sequence where the asteroid 654 and spaceship 652 move closer together and away from their respective sides. Assuch, sample regions 628A-628G and 628I-628P now include space 656 andsample region 628H now includes exhaust 658 from the space ship 652. Asa result, zones 624A-624G and 624I-624P now exude a light effect similarto space 656 and the associated zone 624H now exudes a light effectsimilar to the exhaust 658. By way of example, zones 624A-624G and624I-624P may be blue to correspond to blue space and zone 624H may beyellow to correspond to the yellow exhaust.

[0186]FIGS. 37C and 37D show a third and fourth sequence where thespaceship 652 fires bullets 659 at the asteroid 654 so as to split theasteroid 654 into two smaller asteroids 660 and 662. The third andfourth sequence also show the spaceship 652 continuing to move towardsthe asteroid 654, and the two smaller asteroids 660, 662 moving awayfrom the spaceship 652 after splitting. As such, all the sample regions628A-628P now include space 656. As a result, zones 624A-624P now exudea light effect similar to space 656. For example, zones 624A-624P may beblue to correspond to blue space.

[0187]FIG. 37E shows a fifth sequence where the spaceship 652 continuesto move towards the asteroids 660, 662, and the asteroids 660, 662continue to move away from the spaceship 652 at an angle. As such,sample region 6280 now includes the first asteroid 660, sample region628B now includes the second asteroid 662, sample region 628A nowincludes the spaceship 652 and sample regions 628C-628N and 628P nowinclude space 656. As a result, the associated zone 6240 exudes a lighteffect similar to the first asteroid 660, associated zone 624B exudes alight effect similar to the second asteroid 662, the associated zone624A exudes a light effect similar to the spaceship 652, and theremaining zones 624C-624N and 624P exude a light effect similar to space656. For example, zones 6240 and 624B may be brown to correspond to abrown asteroid, zone 624A may be orange to correspond to an orangespaceship, and zones 624C-624N and 624P may be blue to correspond toblue space.

[0188]FIG. 37F shows a sixth sequence where the asteroids 660, 662 andthe spaceship 652 have exited the side of the display screen 626. Assuch, sample region 628A now includes the exhaust 658 of the spaceship652 and sample regions 628B-628P now include space 656. As a result, theassociated zone 624A now exudes a light effect similar to the exhaust658, and the remaining zones 624B-624P exude a light effect similar tospace 656. For example, zone 624A may be yellow to correspond to yellowexhaust, and zones 624B-624P may be blue to correspond to blue space.

[0189] By way of another example, FIGS. 38A and 38B are simplifieddiagrams of a display monitor 680 presenting two segments 682A and 682Bof a programmed sequence 682. Display monitor 680 is similar to displaymonitor 620 of FIG. 36, and as such, the display monitor 680 includes aplurality of illuminable zones 684. In the illustrated embodiment, theprogrammed sequence 682 corresponds to a computer program that allowsusers of the computer system to visualize their music. The computerprogram is arranged to display a stunning light show (e.g., differentcolors or patterns) on the display screen of the display monitor 680that changes, throbs, and pulses to the beat of the user's music. Forexample, the computer program may adjust its color and patterns relativeto the frequency of the music being played in the computer system. Themusic may be imported from a CD or DVD player, MP3 player, internet, orit may be stored in the computer system itself. By way of example, thecomputer program may correspond to the computer program iTunes producedby Apple Computer of Cupertino, Calif.

[0190] The programmed sequence 682 may take on many forms. In theillustrated embodiment, the programmed sequence 682 is a multicoloredgraphical display that includes a plurality of patterns 686 and 688 thatmove through a wall paper back drop 690. The plurality of patterns 686and 688 may follow a random or predetermined route. FIG. 38A illustratesthe patterns 686 and 688 in a first position, and FIG. 68B illustratesthe patterns 686 and 688 in a second position along the route. Thesepositions may or may not be consecutive. In this embodiment, theplurality of patterns 686 and 688 represent frequency distributionshaving peaks 692 and troughs 694. The patterns 686 and 688 may adjusttheir configuration as they move through the wall paper backdrop 690.For example, the peaks and troughs 692 and 694 may change their periodand amplitude or they may change their color (e.g., 686). The frequencydistributions may be based on the frequencies of the music being playedon the computer system or they may be predetermined.

[0191] Similarly to FIGS. 34-37, regions of the display screen aremapped to counterpart illuminable zones 684. As such, when regions ofthe display screen change so do the counterpart zones. As mentioned,there is generally a sample region for every illuminable zone 684. Thesample region may correspond to any suitable zone 684, however, theytypically correspond to individual zones positioned nearest the locationof the individual sample region. As shown in FIGS. 38A and 38B, thepeaks and troughs 692 and 694 move into and exit different regions ofthe display screen as they change their configuration and position. Assuch, the illuminable zones 684 are continuously changing so as toproduce a light effect that corresponds to the changing regions. Forexample, in FIG. 38A, the configuration (e.g. color, intensity) of theilluminable zone 684′ corresponds to the configuration (e.g. color,intensity) of the trough 694′ of pattern 688, and in FIG. 38B, theconfiguration (e.g. color, intensity) of the illuminable zone 684′corresponds to the configuration (e.g. color, intensity) of a peak 692′of the pattern 686. In addition, in FIG. 38A, the configuration of theilluminable zone 684″ corresponds to the configuration of a peak 692″ ofthe pattern 686, and in FIG. 38B, the configuration of the illuminablezone 684″ corresponds to the configuration of the wall paper backdrop690.

[0192] By way of another example, FIGS. 39A and 39B are simplifieddiagrams of the display monitor 680 presenting two segments 700A and700B of a programmed sequence 700. Like the programmed sequence 682, theprogrammed sequence 400 corresponds to a computer program that allowsusers of the computer system to visualize their music. The programmedsequence 700 may take on many forms. In the illustrated embodiment, theprogrammed sequence 700 is a graphical display that includes a pluralityof pulsating distributions 702A-I that move through a wall paper backdrop 704. The pulsating distributions 702A-I are generally configured toact like an equalizer and thus they change (move up and down) inaccordance with the frequency of the music being played in the computersystem. FIG. 39A illustrates the pulsating distributions 702A-I in afirst position, and FIG. 39B illustrates the pulsating distributions702A-I in a second position.

[0193] Similarly to FIGS. 34-38, regions of the display screen aremapped to counterpart illuminable zones 684. As such, when regions ofthe display screen change so do the counterpart zones. As mentioned,there is generally a sample region for every illuminable zone 684. Thesample region may correspond to any suitable zone 684, however, theytypically correspond to individual zones positioned nearest the locationof the individual sample region. As shown in FIGS. 39A and 39B, thepulsating distributions 702A-I move into and exit different regions ofthe display screen as they change their configuration and position. Assuch, the illuminable zones 684 are continuously changing so as toproduce a light effect that corresponds to the changing regions. Forexample, in FIG. 39A, the configuration (e.g. color, intensity) of theilluminable zone 684” corresponds to the configuration (e.g. color,intensity) of the pulsating distribution 702F, and in FIG. 39B, theconfiguration (e.g. color, intensity) of the illuminable zone 684”corresponds to the configuration (e.g. color, intensity) of the wallpaper backdrop 690.

[0194] It should be noted that a methodology similar to methodologyshown in FIGS. 38 and 39 may also be used to change the zones inaccordance with the music itself rather than with the visual output ofthe display screen.

[0195] Although the description thus far has been primarily directed atilluminating larger portions of a housing, in some cases, it may only bedesirable to illuminate a small portion of the housing. This may beuseful for indicators that indicate events associated with the system inwhich they are used. By way of example, the events may relate tosignals, conditions or status of the system.

[0196]FIG. 40 shows a computer system 750 including a base 752 and amonitor 754, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.The base 752 and monitor 754 may be separate components or they may beintegrated into a single component. In the illustrated embodiment, thebase 752 and monitor 754 are separate components, i.e., they each havetheir own housing. The monitor 754 includes a monitor housing 756A andthe base 752 includes a base housing 756B. Both housings 756AandB areconfigured to enclose various internal components associated withoperation of the respective devices. In general, the housings 756 serveto surround their internal components at a peripheral region thereof soas to cover and protect their internal components from adverseconditions. By way of example, the monitor housing 756A may encloseinternally a display and related display components and the base housing756B may enclose internally various electrical components (includingintegrated circuit chips and other circuitry) to provide computingoperations for the computer system 750.

[0197] In order to alert a user to a particular status of the computersystem 750, each of the components (base, monitor) may include anindicator 760. For example, each of the components may include apower/sleep indicator that alerts a user as to when the components areon/off or in a sleep mode. The indicators 760 are typically illuminatedwhen the component is on, and not illuminated when the component is off.Furthermore, the indicator may turn on and off or cycle with increasingor decreasing intensity (ebb) when in sleep mode.

[0198] Indicators have been used in computer systems 750 for a longtime. Unlike conventional indicators, however, the indicators 760 shownin FIG. 40 use the principles described in the previous embodiments.Mainly, that a light source disposed inside the housing 756 isconfigured to illuminate a portion of the housing 756 thereby causingthe housing 756 to change its appearance, i.e., change its color. By wayof example, a change in color may indicate a change in status of thesystem.

[0199] As shown in FIGS. 41A and 41B, the indicator image 762 appears onthe surface of the housing 756 when the indicator is on, and itdisappears from the surface of the housing 756 when the indicator isoff. One advantage of this type of indicator is that there is no traceof the indicator 760 when the indicator 760 is off. The indicator 760only exists when the indicator 760 is turned on. Furthermore, theindicator 760 avoids substantial breaks, lines, pits, protrusions in thesurface of the housing 756, which are aesthetically unpleasing anddegrade the look of the computer system. In conventional indicators, theindicator always exists at the surface of the housing. As should beappreciated, conventional indicators typically include a small clearplastic insert, which is located in front of an LED, and which isinserted within an opening in the housing thus causing it to protrudeoutside the housing Substantial breaks also exist at the interfacebetween the insert and housing thereby making it visually unappealing.Alternatively, the LED itself may be placed in the opening in thehousing. This, however, also typically protrudes from the housing andmay also include substantial gaps.

[0200]FIG. 42 is a diagram of an indicator 770, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. The indicator 770 may for examplebe used in a computer system such as the one described in FIG. 40 oranother type of electronic device. As shown in FIG. 42, the indicator770 includes a light source 772 that is placed behind a housing 774. Atleast some portion of the housing 774 in close proximity to the lightsource 772 is illuminable, i.e., can be lit up. Generally speaking, anindicator image such as that shown in FIG. 41 is formed at the outersurface 782 of the illuminable portion 776, and may even glow, whenlight is made incident on the inner surface 784 of illuminable portion776 via the light source 772.

[0201] The light source 772 may be widely varied, however, in most casesit includes an LED or group of LEDs. By way of example, the light source772 may include red, blue, green and/or white LEDs. In the illustratedembodiment, the light source 772 includes a pair of surface mount LEDs786A and 786B that are in close proximity to one another and that areattached to a printed circuit board 788. The surface mount LED 786Aincludes red, green and blue LEDs, and the surface mount LED 786Bincludes a white LED. The red, green, blue and white LEDs work togetherto produce the different colors of the color spectrum (e.g., mixing).This particular arrangement allows a computer system to change the colorof the indicator according to specific tasks being performed in thecomputer system. In some cases, a UV-LED may be used.

[0202] The illuminable portion 776, which may include one or morelayers, is typically formed from a light passing material(s) that istranslucent or semitranslucent. The translucency of the illuminableportion 776 is configured to allow the passage of light therethroughwhile preventing the user from clearly seeing or distinguishing objectsthrough it as for example the light source 772. That is, the illuminableportion 776 transmits light while causing sufficient diffusion toprevent perception of distinct objects located behind it. Theilluminable portion 776 may, for example, include a light diffusingmeans located either internal or external to the illuminable portion 776(see FIGS. 17A-17C). In one implementation, the illuminable portion 776is a thin section of a white plastic housing.

[0203] In one particular embodiment, the illuminable portion 776 of thehousing 774 is formed from multiple layers. For example, the housing 774may include a transparent outer layer that forms an outer peripheralportion of the housing 774 and a translucent inner layer that forms aninner peripheral portion of the housing 774. These layers can be locatedat various locations relative to one another, however, in most casesthey are placed against one another and may even be molded or attachedto one another thereby forming a single unit. The translucent innerlayer is configured to mask out the undesirable internal componentslocated within the housing 774 while providing a uniform, clean look forthe housing 774 when viewed from the outer surface 782 of the housing774 as for example through the transparent outer layer. The translucentinner layer is also configured to transmit light therethrough in orderto be illuminable. This arrangement offers an appealing aesthetic lookwithout being hampered by components internal to the housing 774.

[0204] The inner layer can be formed from a variety of translucent orsemi translucent materials and can be any of a variety of differentcolors or multiple colors. The outer layer, on the other hand, can beformed from a variety of clear materials such as clear plastic or glass.In one implementation, the outer layer is a thin sheet of clear plasticand the inner layer is a thin sheet of white plastic. As should beappreciated, the white surface provides the superior medium forproducing different colors on the housing 774 via the light source 772.

[0205] Although the light source 772 may be capable of producing shapedimages, other means may be necessary to produce an indicator image witha desired shape. In cases such as these, the indicator 770 may include amasking element that blocks light from passing through some areas of theilluminable housing 774 while allowing light to pass through other areasof the illuminable housing 774. The masking element generally includesan opening corresponding to the image to be illuminated. The lightpassing through the opening is projected onto the illuminable housing774 thereby forming an image on the illuminable housing 774. Theindicator image is typically provided in the illuminable housing 774 inthe vicinity of the opening. The light passing through the openingpasses through the illuminable housing 774 to produce an illuminatedimage at an outer surface of the illuminable housing 774. The shape ofthe image formed on the illuminable housing 774 typically corresponds tothe shape of the opening. The shape of the opening and thus the imagemay be widely varied. For example, it may be a simple shape such acircle, rectangle, square, triangle, etc. or it may be a more complexshape such as an icon, logo, etc.

[0206]FIG. 43 is a diagram of a housing indicator system 800, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The housingindicator system 800 includes a light source 802, a mask 804 and anilluminable housing portion 806. The light source 802 is capable orproducing very bright illumination. The illuminable housing portion 806,which may be the entire housing or some smaller component, is configuredto be translucent such that it transmits light without permittingobjects disposed behind it to be distinctly seen, i.e., allows light topass through diffusely (partially transparent). The mask 804, on theother hand, blocks the light from illuminating all but the part of theilluminable housing portion 806 that is desired to be illuminated. Themask 804 generally includes an opening 808 having a shape thatcorresponds to the image desired to be created. During operation, theimage is created when light is projected through the opening 808,i.e.,the image is transferred to the outer surface 810 of the illuminablehousing portion 806 where it can be seen by a user.

[0207] While a mask 804 has been generally shown and discussed it shouldbe noted that other masking elements may be used. For example, themasking element may come in the form of a light guide or light pipe thatcan form an image by directing light to a specific area. The light guideand pipe may further help guide light from one area to another such aswhen the light source is at a remote location. By way of example, FIG.44 shows a light guide 812 forming an image on the illuminable housingportion 806 via the light source 802 (see also FIG. 25) and FIG. 45shows a light pipe 814 forming an image on the illuminable housingportion 806 via the light source 802 (see also FIG. 24).

[0208] It may be further desirable to produce sharp indicator imagesthat do not have blurred edges. As should be appreciated, light maybleed through the illuminable housing portion 806 thereby causing adistorted image, especially at the edges of the image. By way ofexample, FIG. 46 shows a fuzzy indicator image 816 and a crisp indicatorimage 818. Several embodiments for making sharp images as shown in FIG.46 will now be described.

[0209]FIG. 47 is a diagram of a housing indicator system 820, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The housingindicator system 820 includes a housing 822 and a light source 824disposed behind the housing 822. The light source 772 may be placedadjacent the inner surface of the housing 822 or it may be spaced away.The light source 824 may, for example, include one or more LEDs such asa RGB LED and a white LED. The housing 822 includes at least an innerbezel 826 having a light receiving recess 828 that forms a reducedthickness portion 830 in the inner bezel 826. The reduced thicknessportion 830 is configured to be translucent while the thicker portions832 of the inner bezel 826 are configured to be opaque. The thickerportion 832 of the bezel 826 acts like a mask, which prevents light frompassing through areas of the bezel 826 (other than the recess 828). Thewalls 834 of the recess 828 act like a light guide, which helps guidelight from the light source 824 to the reduced thickness portion 830.Because the reduced thickness portion 830 is translucent, it can beilluminated when light is introduced into the recess 828 via the lightsource 824. Furthermore, the shape of the recess 828 produces anindicator image of similar shape on the outer surface 834 of the innerbezel 826. For example, if the recess is formed as a cylinder then theindicator image will be a circle such as that shown in FIG. 41A.

[0210] The thickness of the reduced thickness portion 830 can beadjusted to effect the intensity of the illumination provided. Forexample, the thickness can be made larger to reduce its translucency(thus making the intensity of the illumination at the outer surfacesmaller) or it can be decreased to increase its translucency (thusmaking the intensity of the illumination at the outer surface greater).The thickness of the reduced thickness portion can also be adjusted toeffect what can be seen therethrough, i.e., if it is too thin a user maybe able to see the light source disposed behind it. In most cases, thethickness is designed to produce the greatest amount of illuminationwhile still preventing objects disposed behind it from being distinctlyseen.

[0211] In one embodiment, the inner bezel 826 is formed from a whitematerial so that it acts like a canvas to the light colors created bythe light source 824. For example, if the light source 824 produces redlight then the reduced thickness portion 830 turns red. The housing 822may additionally include a clear outer bezel 836. The clear outer bezel836 cooperates with the inner bezel 826 to form the housing 822.

[0212]FIG. 48 is a diagram of a housing indicator system 840, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Like thehousing indicator system shown in FIG. 47, the housing indicator system840 shown herein includes a recess 828 having reduced thickness portion830. However, unlike the housing indicator system of FIG. 47, thehousing indicator system 840 includes an illuminable plug 842 that isinserted or formed into the recess 828. The illuminable plug 842operates as a light guide/pipe for directing the light from the lightsource 824 to the reduced thickness portion 830. The illuminable plug842 may for example be formed from a clear or translucent material. Inthe case of UV LEDs, the illuminable plug 842 may additionally includeUV brighteners.

[0213] The illuminable plug 842 generally includes a light receivingarea 844 for collecting light and an illuminating area 846 for emittinglight. The illuminable plug 842 directs light from the light source 824through the light plug 842 from the light receiving area 844 to theilluminating area 846. The illuminating area 846 is adjacent the reducedthickness portion 830 so that light emanating from the illuminating area846 travels to the inner surface of the reduced thickness portion 830and subsequently through the reduced thickness portion 830 therebyilluminating the reduced thickness portion 830 at its outer surface 834.

[0214] The illuminable plug 842 may include a protruding member 848,which extends away from the inner bezel 826 when the illuminable plug842 is positioned in the recess 828. The protruding member 848 mayinclude a void or recess 850. The light source 824 may be positioned, atleast in part, in the void 850 so that the light plug 842 captures alarger portion of the light being generated therefrom, i.e., theprotrusion surrounds the light source 824. The shape of the light plug842 coincides with the shape of the recess 828.

[0215]FIG. 49 is a diagram of a housing indicator system 860, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Like thehousing indicator system shown in FIGS. 47 and 48, the housing indicatorsystem 860 includes a recess 828 having reduced thickness portion 830and an illuminable plug 862 that is inserted or formed into the recess828. Unlike the illuminable plug shown in FIG. 48, however, theilluminable plug 862 includes a light barrier 864 at its peripheralsurface. The light barrier 864 is configured to prevent light fromemanating out of the sides of the illuminable plug 862. For example, thelight barrier 864 may be formed from an opaque material.

[0216] In one particular embodiment, the illuminable plug 862 is formedby a transmissive portion 866 at its interior and a reflective portion868 at its exterior. Because the exterior of the illuminable plug 862 isreflective, the light reflects off the sides of the illuminable plug 862as it travels from the light receiving area 844 to the illuminating area846. The reflective portion 868 also prevents light from bleedingthrough the side walls of the recess 828. When light is made incident onthe light receiving area 844, the light is transmitted to theilluminating area 846 where it emits the light onto the reducedthickness portion 830.

[0217] Although generally described as a continuous piece of the innerbezel, the illuminable portion could also be provided by a separatepiece of translucent material (e.g., plug or insert) that is insertedand affixed within an opening or hole in a translucent ornon-translucent inner bezel. Like the inner bezel, the translucentmaterial can be any of a variety of different colors or multiple colorsalthough in most cases it would correspond to the color of the innerbezel in order to simulate a continuous piece. By continuous piece, itis generally meant that the surface of the inner bezel does not includesubstantial breaks, lines, pits, that tend to make the housingaesthetically unpleasing and degrade the overall look of the computersystem.

[0218]FIG. 50 is a diagram of a housing indicator system 870, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In thisembodiment, the system 870 includes an illuminable plug 872 similar toFIG. 48, however, unlike FIG. 48, the inner bezel 826 includes anopening 874 rather then a recess. The opening 874 forms a through holefrom the inner surface 833 of the inner bezel 826 to the outer surface834 of the inner bezel 826. The illuminable plug 872 is disposed insidethe opening 874. The illuminating area 846 of the light plug 872 becomesthe illuminable area of the housing 822. In most cases, the illuminatingarea 846 of the light plug 842 is flush with the outer surface of theinner bezel 826 to produce a uniform and continuous appearance. Theshape of the light plug 842 coincides with the shape of the opening 874.In this manner, there are substantially no gaps between the side of thelight plug 842 and the inside surface of the opening 874. In some cases,the inner bezel is molded around the illuminable plug in order toeliminate any gaps there between. In essence the two pieces are fusedtogether.

[0219]FIG. 51 is a diagram of a housing indicator system 880, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In thisembodiment, the housing indicator system 880 includes a illuminable plug882 similar to FIG. 50, however, unlike FIG. 50, the illuminable plug882 further includes a screen member 884 adjacent the illuminating area846 of the illuminable plug 882. The screen member 884 acts like thereduced thickness portion 830 described above. Although the screenmember 884 can be formed from various colors, it is typically configuredto match the color of the inner bezel 826. By doing so, the inner bezel826 appears as a single continuous part. The two pieces may be formedfrom similar materials or from dissimilar materials. In one particularimplementation, the inner bezel 826 and screen member 884 are formedfrom the same white plastic material.

[0220]FIG. 52 is a diagram of a housing indicator system 890, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In thisembodiment, the housing indicator system 890 includes a illuminable plug892 similar to FIG. 51, however, unlike FIG. 51, the illuminable plug892 includes a light barrier 894 at its peripheral surface. Similar tothe light barrier discussed in FIG. 49, the light barrier 894 isconfigured to prevent light from emanating out of the sides of theilluminable plug 892 thereby reflecting more of the light through thescreen member 884. In this particular implementation, it is generallypreferable to use a light barrier 894 with minimal thickness in order toprevent a visible joint at the light plug/ bezel interface. As should beappreciated, a substantial thickness may appear as a line at the outersurface of the inner bezel 826 when the light plug 892 is positionedwithin the opening 874. In some cases, it may be only desirable toextend the light barrier 894 to the inner surface of the screen member884. In this manner, the screen member 884 can hide any lines created bythe light barrier 894.

[0221] The methods of manufacturing the arrangements discussed above maybe widely varied. By way of example, the bezels may be produced viamolding, machining or the like and may be attached using any suitablemeans (e.g., fasteners, adhesives, molding, etc.). Similar to thebezels, the light plugs may be produced by molding, machining and thelike. Furthermore, the light plug may attached to the bezel using anysuitable means as for example press fitting, molding, adhesives, etc.Moreover, the light barrier formed on the surface of the light plug maybe formed by plating, deposition, painting, etc. In addition, the screenmember may formed on the surface of the light plug via molding,adhesives, etc.

[0222] Several examples of manufacturing steps will now be discussed. Inone implementation, the light plug and inner bezel including the recessor opening are molded separately. After molding, the light plug is pressfit into the recess or opening of the bezel. After press fitting, theouter bezel is molded over the inner bezel and light plug. In anotherimplementation, the light plug is molded. After molding the light plug,the inner bezel is molded around the light plug. After molding the innerbezel, the outer bezel is molded over the inner bezel and light plug. Inyet another implementation, the light plug is produced by first moldingthe light plug, thereafter molding the screen member over the lightplug, and thereafter plating a light barrier on the outer peripheralsurface of the light plug.

[0223]FIG. 53 is a diagram of a housing indicator system 900, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The housingindicator system 900 includes a housing 902 and an indicator assembly904. The housing 902 includes a clear layer 902A and a translucent layer902B. Both layers are typically formed from plastic materials. Thelayers 902 may be attached using any suitable means. In the illustratedembodiment, the two layers 902 are molded together. As shown, thetranslucent layer 902B includes a light receiving recess 906 that formsa reduced thickness portion 907. The reduced thickness portion 907represents that area of the translucent layer 902B that is illuminatedin order to indicate that an event has occurred.

[0224] The indicator assembly 904, on the other hand, includes a lightdirecting system 908 and a light source 909. The light source 909 isconfigured to provide light to the reduced thickness portion 908. Thelight source 909 may for example include a RGB LED 909A and a white LED909B, both of which are attached to a printed circuit board 910. Thelight directing system 908 is configured to direct the light from thelight source 909 to the reduced thickness portion 907.

[0225] The light directing system 908 includes a light barrier 911configured to prevent light from entering the translucent layer 902Bexcept at the reduced thickness portion 907. The light barrier 911 inparticular covers the sides of the recess 906 and a portion of the innersurface of the translucent layer 902B that surrounds the recess 906. Thelight barrier 911 may be widely varied. In the illustrated embodiment,the light barrier 911 is a thin metal disk, which is positioned withinthe recess 906 and over a portion of the translucent layer 902B. Moreparticularly, the thin metal disk includes a tube portion 912 thatinserts into the recess 906 and a flange portion 913 that covers aninner surface of the translucent layer 902B. The thin metal disk may forexample be press fit into the recess 906.

[0226] The light directing system 908 also includes a light guide 914for directing the light from the light source 909 to the reducedthickness portion 907. The light guide 914 is positioned within thespace provided between the translucent layer 902B and the printedcircuit board 910. The light guide 914 may be attached to the lightbarrier 911, translucent layer 902B, light source 909, and/or theprinted circuit board 910. The light guide 914 may be widely varied. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the light guide 914 is a light tube formedfrom opaque white plastic. The opaque white plastic helps to mix anddistribute the light evenly. The light tube generally includes anopening 915 that has a shape and dimension that coincides with the shapeand dimension of the recess 906. In order to seal the interfaces,gaskets 916 may be provided between the light tube and the tranlucentlayer 902B and between the tube and the printed circuit board 910. Thegaskets 916 help prevent light from escaping out of the light directingsystem 908 while providing some manufacturing tolerance. The light tubemay be attached to the light barrier/tranclucent layer and/or the lightsource/printed circuit board using any suitable means. In some cases,the light tube is not directly attached, but rather sandwiched betweenthe printed circuit board 910 and the translucent layer 902B.

[0227]FIG. 54 is a diagram of the various layers of a computer system920 with a light feature 921, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention. By way of example, the light feature 921 may be usedin a manner to illuminate a portion of an entire enclosure of thecomputing system 920 or another component coupled to the computingsystem 920. The computing system 920 generally includes a user interface922. The user interface 922 allows a user to input and receive data. Forexample, the user may input data via a keyboard or mouse and may receivedata through a graphical user interface located on a display. Thecomputing system 920 also includes an operating system 924. Theoperating system 924 is software that controls the computing system 920and its peripheral devices. The operating system 924 also serves as abridge between the computing system 920 and the software running on itas for example color software 926. Operating systems are generally wellknown and will not be described in greater detail. By way of example,the operating system may correspond to OS/2, DOS, Unix, Linux and thelike.

[0228] The color software 926 is software that includes a set ofinstructions that tell the computer system 920 what to do with the lightfeature 921. The color software 926 may be application software thatenables a user to perform and accomplish specific tasks in the computersystem 920 or it may be part of the operating software 924 that controlsthe overall activity of the computing system 920. The color software 926may be broken up into several components. Each component may beassociated with a particular program such as a music program, movievideo editing program, sleep behavior program, enclosure illuminationprogram or the like.

[0229] The computer system also includes software drivers 928 forenabling communication between the software 926 and a main processor930.

[0230] The main processor 930 is configured to control the computingsystem 920. The main processor 930 is typically responsible forinterpreting instructions gathered from input devices and transmittingthe results to output devices. The main processor 930 typically takesthe form of an integrated circuit although it may include othercircuitry. The computing system 920 may additionally include a specialmanagement unit (SMU) 932, which can assist the main processor 930 orperform special tasks in the computing system 900. By way of example,the SMU 932 may be an auxiliary integrated circuit that continuouslyreceives power so as to provide operations when the main processor 930is in sleep mode. Although shown as a separate component, the SMU 932may be integral with the main processor 930 in some circumstances.

[0231] The computer system 920 also includes one or more light drivers934 that are configured to drive one or more light sources 936. There isgenerally one light driver 934 for each light source 936. The lightdrivers 934 are configured convert control signals as for example fromthe main processor 930 or SMU 932 into a form that can be used toilluminate the light sources 936 in a manner desired by the computingsystem 930. By way of example, the control signal, which may be a dutycycle signal, may be converted into a voltage signal and/or currentsignal that drive the intensity of the light sources 936.

[0232] In one embodiment, the light drivers 934 are configured toconvert a duty cycle signal into a voltage and further into a stablecontinuous current that is driven through the light sources 936. Bycontinuous, it is generally meant that the voltage or the currentpassing through the light source 916 is not switched on and off. Oneadvantage of driving the light sources 936 with a continuous current isthat the connection between the light drivers 934 and light sources 936can traverse a large distance. The light sources 936 can therefore beplaced at remote locations relative to the light drivers 934. In mostproducts, it is not conceivable to place the light source 936 in closeproximity to the light drivers 914 since the location of the twomechanisms is controlled by different considerations. For example, thelocation of the light source 936 is controlled by industrial design andthe location of the light drivers 934 are constrained by routingconsiderations relative to other chips and circuitry.

[0233] To elaborate, significant problems arise when the current isswitched on and off and the current line, which connects the lightsources 936 to the light drivers 934, traverses some degree of distance.As the current gets switched on and off, it emits radiation (e.g.,capacitive coupling, magnetic coupling) that causes interference. Theinterference is most notable in audio microphone input amplifiers as itproduces a hum through the speakers. The interference may also benoticeable in other low level inputs such as sensor inputs. By providinga continuous current, the system 920 no longer has an undesirableperiodic current or voltage being switched and therefore the lightsource connection can traverse a long distance without causinginterference.

[0234] Although continuous, the voltage or current level may be adjustedto achieve various levels of light intensity at each of the lightsources 936. For example, the current level may be made low to producelow intensity light and the current level can be made high to produce ahigh intensity current. By varying the light intensity, one or morelight effects whether static or dynamic may be formed.

[0235] In one embodiment, the light feature 921 includes a plurality oflight sources 936, each of which is capable of emitting a differentcolor of light. The intensity of each of the plural light sources 936can be adjusted between low and high to produce different light effects.In one implementation, the light feature 921 includes at least a red,green and blue light source so that almost any color in the colorspectrum can be produced. (e.g., color mixing). By way of example, inorder to produce bright red, the red light can be placed at a high leveland the other lights can be placed at a low level (off). In order toproduce pink, the red light can be placed at a medium level and theother lights can be placed at a low level (off). In order to produce adeep purple, the red and blue light can be placed at a high level andthe green light can be placed at a low level (off).

[0236] Furthermore, although white light can be produced by mixing red,blue and green light together, it is typically not an accurate white. Inorder to get a real accurate white, the light feature 921 may furtherinclude a white light source. The white light can be used alone toproduce white or in combination with the other colors to effect hue. Forexample, in order to produce pink, the white light can be place at ahigh level and the red light can be placed at a moderate level whilekeeping the other lights at a very low level. The light sources may beany of those described previously (e.g., LED), and further may beconfigured to illuminate a translucent housing in any of the mannerspreviously described (e.g., enclosure, indicator, etc.).

[0237]FIG. 55 is a diagram of light assembly 940, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. The light assembly 940 generallyincludes a processor 942, a plurality of light drivers 944 and aplurality of LEDs 946. By way of example, these components may generallycorrespond to the SMU, light drivers and light sources discussed in FIG.54. In this embodiment, the processor 942 includes a pulse widthmodulation (PWM) unit 948 having multiple channels 950 with aprogrammable duty cycle that controls the light intensity at each of theLEDs 946. The number of channels typically varies according to thenumber of LEDs used, i.e., there is a channel for each LED 946. In theillustrated embodiment, the light assembly 940 includes at least a red,green, blue and white LED and therefore there are four channels 950 eachcorresponding to a different color. There is also a light driver 944 foreach LED 946. The light driver 944 is positioned between the processor942 and the LED 946. The light driver 944 is configured to convert thePWM signal into a steady continuous current capable of driving the LEDs946. In one embodiment, the light driver 944 includes a PWM to voltageconverter and a voltage to current converter.

[0238] In the illustrated embodiment, the light assembly 940 includesfour light drivers 944A-D, each of which is configured to drive adifferent LED 946A-D. A first light driver 944A is configured to drive ared LED 946A, a second light driver 944B is configured to drive a greenLED 946B, a third light driver 944C is configured drive a blue LED 946Cand a fourth light driver 944D is configured to drive a white LED 943D.Although the red, green and blue LEDs 946A-C may be separate componentsthey are typically grouped together as part of an LED system. By way ofexample, they may be mounted to the same structural base. The white LED,on the other hand, includes its own structural base. In one particularembodiment, the RGB LED system is formed as part of a first packageddevice and the white LED system is formed as part of a second packageddevice. By way of example, the packaged device may be surface mountdevice that attached to a printed circuit board. Although separatecomponents, the RGB LED system is typically positioned in closeproximity to the white LED so as to provide color mixing. By way ofexample, they may be mounted in a similar location within a housing ofan electronic device.

[0239] In an alternate embodiment to the ones shown above, the processormay include a digital to analog converter (DAC) that allows theprocessor to output voltages rather than PWM signals. In thisembodiment, the processor includes multiple channels, each of whichoutputs a voltage and each of which corresponds to a distinct LED.Furthermore, because voltage is being outputted, the light drivers wouldonly include a voltage to current converter that receivers the voltagefrom the processor and outputs a current to the LED. Also alternatively,the processor may include a digital to analog converter (DAC) thatallows the processor to output currents rather than PWM signals orvoltages. In this embodiment, the processor includes multiple channels,each of which outputs a current and each of which corresponds to adistinct LED. Furthermore, because current is being outputted, the lightdrivers can be eliminated, i.e., the current from the processor isoutputted directly to the LED.

[0240] Although steady and continuous current output is generallydesired for the aforementioned reasons, in some cases it may not bepossible for each light source. That is, at least one light source maybe required to use a different control circuit. For example, in somecases, a light assembly 952 may include a light switch 954 instead of alight driver as shown in FIG. 56. In the circuit that includes the lightswitch 954, the current is left at a constant level, i.e., does not varyas with the light drivers 944. The light switch 954, which has twostates (on and off), is controlled by the PWM output. The PWM outputeffects the duration at any one state. The duration that the switch 954stays at any one state is used to vary the intensity at the light source946 associated with the light switch 954. For example, in order toproduce bright illumination, the switch 954 may be left on for 99 ms andturned off for 1 ms. In order to produce dim illumination, the switch954 may be left on for 1 ms and turned off for 99 ms. In the illustratedembodiment, the light switch 954 is used to drive the white LED 946Dwhile light drivers 944A-C are used to drive the red, green and blueLEDs 946A-C.

[0241]FIG. 57 is a simplified diagram of a light driver 960, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. By way ofexample, the light driver 960 may correspond to the light driver 944shown in FIGS. 55 and 56. The light driver 960 generally includes a pairof converters 962 and 964. The first converter 962 is configured toconvert a PWM signal to DC voltage. The first converter 962 receives thePWM signal from the processor for example, and outputs a voltage signalto the second converter 964. The second converter 964, on the otherhand, is configured to convert the voltage signal into a current signal.The second converter 964 receives the voltage signal from the firstconverter 962, for example, and outputs a current signal to theassociated light source.

[0242] In operation, the PWM signal has a duty cycle that isproportional to the desired intensity of an associated light source.Like the duty cycle, the voltage is also proportional to the desiredintensity of the associated light source. In one particular embodiment,the voltage is between about 0 mV to about 500 mV. The lower half ofthis range generally corresponds to the lower half of the duty cyclewhile the upper half of this range generally corresponds to the upperhalf of the duty cycle. Like the voltage, the current is alsoproportional to the intensity of the desired light source. In oneparticular embodiment, the current is between about 0 mA to about 20 mAmilliamperes. The lower half of this range generally corresponds to thelower half of the voltage while the upper half of this range generallycorresponds to the upper half of the voltage. By way of example, thevoltage to current converter may correspond to a transimpendanceamplifier or gm stage.

[0243]FIG. 58 is an exemplary circuit diagram of light driver 970, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The circuitdiagram may represent the light drivers shown in the previous Figures.The light driver 970 is configured to receive PWM input from an SMU andto output a steady continuous current to an LED based on the PWM input.The light driver 970 is generally placed in close proximity to the SMUand may be placed remotely from the LED. This can be done for theaforementioned reasons, i.e., the light drivers output a continuouscurrent and therefore they don't create interference when they a placeda far distance from the light driver 970.

[0244] As shown in FIG. 58, each of the light drivers 970 includes a PWMto DC voltage converter 972 and a voltage to current converter 974. Eachof the PWM to DC voltage converters 972 is configured to receive a PWMinput signal from the SMU. The PWM to DC voltage converter 972 is alsoconfigured to convert the PWM signal into a DC voltage. The DC voltageis based on the received PWM signal. The voltage to current converters974 is configured to receive the outputted voltage from the PWM to DCvoltage converter 972. The voltage to current converters 974 is alsoconfigured to convert the DC voltage into a steady and continuouscurrent. The current is based on the received DC voltage. The currentoutputted from the voltage to current converter 974 is received by anassociated LED in order to illuminate the LED.

[0245]FIG. 59 is an exemplary circuit diagram of light switch 980, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The circuitdiagram may represent the light switch shown in the previous Figure. Thelight switch 980 is configured to receive PWM input from an SMU and tooutput a time multiplexed signal to an LED based on the PWM input. Thelight switch is generally placed in close proximity to the SMU and theLED.

[0246]FIG. 60 is a diagram of a graphical user interface 1000, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The GUI 1000represents the visual display panel for displaying the light profiles ofone or more light sources on a computer display screen. Through the GUI1000, the user may quickly and conveniently review the light settingsassociated with the light source(s) and make changes thereto. The GUI1000 serves as a control panel for reviewing and/or customizing thelight options associated with the various light sources.

[0247] As shown, the GUI 1000 includes a window frame 1002 that definesa window 1004. The window 1004 generally contains one or moreillumination fields 1006 including but not limited to housingillumination, indicator illumination, keyboard illumination and thelike. The illumination fields 1006 are generally opened via a fieldbutton 1008, i.e., by selecting the field button the correspondingillumination field is presented to the user. The contents of theillumination fields may be widely varied. The contents may include oneor more on screen options, switches, labels, warnings and the like. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the field 1006 includes one or moreillumination actions 1010, and one or more illumination attributes 1012.

[0248] The illumination actions 1010 include the various actions thatmay be taken by a particular illumination component, i.e., housing,indicator, keyboard, etc. In the illustrated embodiment, the field 1004is dedicated to indicator illumination, and more particularly an on/offsleep indicator. Thus, the illumination actions 1010 may include “on”action 1014 and “sleep” action 1016. The “on” action 1014, if it isenabled, instructs a computer system to illuminate a light sourceassociated with an indicator when the computer hardware is turned on.The “sleep” action 1016, if it is enabled, instructs a computer systemto illuminate the light source when the computer hardware is in a sleepmode (not in use but still on).

[0249] The illumination attributes 1012, on the other hand, gives theuser the ability to designate an attribute of the illumination providedfor each illumination action 1010. The attributes may be widely varied.In the illustrated embodiment, illumination attributes 1012 include acolor option 1018 and an intensity option 1020. The color option 1018gives the user the ability to designate the color of the illuminationprovided for each action. The color option 1018 may come in variousforms including a color palette menu that includes a plurality of basiccolors that may be selected. The color option 1018 may also come in acolor wheel menu that includes a much larger number of colors formed bythe basic colors. The color option 1018 may also come in a colorspectrum menu including all the colors in the color spectrum as forexample using standard RGB color mixing. When a user selects aparticular color in one of these menus, the color is typically indicatedas a word (as shown) or visually in a color box, i.e., if a user selectsred, then the color box is filled with red.

[0250] The light intensity option 1020 gives the user the ability todesignate a particular light intensity of the illumination provided foreach action. The light intensity may be set at one particular intensityor it may be variable or dynamic. When set at one intensity (static),the light source maintains a constant light intensity during operation.The user may be able to select the intensity via a slider bar. Forexample, by moving the slider, the user may increase or decrease theintensity. When intensity is variable, the light intensity is configuredto vary or fluctuate during operation (e.g., blinking on and off). Thelight intensity of sleep indicators, for example, is generally designedto fade in and out between a minimum and maximum value so as to indicatethat the computer system is in a sleep mode. As should be appreciated,the variable light intensity may be time dependent and thus it mayinclude a menu for selecting how the light intensity varies over time.

[0251] It should be noted that the GUI configuration shown in FIG. 60 isnot a limitation and that the configuration may vary according to thespecific needs of each light source. For example, each light source mayhave different light requirements and therefore the GUI may need to bemodified.

[0252] While this invention has been described in terms of severalpreferred embodiments, there are alterations, permutations, andequivalents, which fall within the scope of this invention. It shouldalso be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing themethods and apparatuses of the present invention. It is thereforeintended that the following appended claims be interpreted as includingall such alterations, permutations, and equivalents as fall within thetrue spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computing device, comprising: a housing forenclosing various internal components associated with the operation ofthe computing device; and an indicator assembly for indicating eventsassociated with the computing device, the indicator assembly beingconfigured to produce an indicator image at an outer surface of thehousing when activated, and to eliminate the indicator image from theouter surface of the housing when deactivated.
 2. The computing deviceas recited in claim 1 wherein the indicator assembly includes a lightsource capable of emitting light, the light from the light source beingmade incident on an inner surface of the housing in order to form theindicator image at the outer surface of the housing.
 3. The computingdevice as recited in claim 2 wherein the light source includes an LED ora group of LEDs.
 4. The computing device as recited in claim 3 whereinthe light source includes a red, green, blue and white LED, the coloredLEDs performing color mixing in order to effect the color of theindicator image.
 5. The computing device as recited in claim 2 whereinthe light is made incident on a translucent portion of the housing, thetranslucent portion transmitting light without permitting objectsdisposed behind it from being distinctly seen.
 6. The computing deviceas recited in claim 2 wherein the indicator assembly further includes amask that blocks light from illuminating all but the part of the housingdesired to be illuminated.
 7. The computing device as recited in claim 2wherein the indicator assembly further includes a light pipe or lightguide for directing light to the part of the housing desired to beilluminated.
 8. A housing indicator system, comprising: a housing havingat least an inner bezel, the inner bezel having a light receiving recessthat forms a reduced thickness portion, the reduced thickness portionbeing translucent; and a light source disposed behind the housing, thelight source being configured to illuminate the reduced thicknessportion in order to form an indicator image at the outer surface of theinner bezel, the shape of the recess producing an indicator image ofsimilar shape on the outer surface of the inner bezel.
 9. The system asrecited in claim 8 wherein the light source includes one or more lightemitting diodes (LEDs).
 10. The system as recited in claim 9 wherein thelight source includes a RGB LED system and a white LED.
 11. The systemas recited in claim 8 wherein the thickness of the reduced thicknessportion is adjusted to effect the intensity of light provided at theouter surface of the inner bezel.
 12. The system as recited in claim 8wherein the inner bezel is formed from a white material.
 13. The systemas recited in claim 8 wherein the thicker portions surrounding thereduced thickness portion are opaque.
 14. The system as recited in claim8 further comprising an illuminable plug that is positioned within therecess, the illuminable plug directing the light from the light sourceto the reduced thickness portion.
 15. The system as recited in claim 14wherein the illuminable plug includes a light barrier at its peripheralsurface, the light barrier being configured to prevent light fromemanating out of the sides of the illuminable plug.
 16. The system asrecited in claim 14 wherein the inner bezel includes an opening ratherthan a recess, the illuminable plug being disposed inside the opening,the outer surface of the illuminable plug being flush with the outersurface of the inner bezel in order to produce a uniform and continuousappearance.
 17. The system as recited in claim 16 wherein theilluminable plug includes a screen member at its outer surface, thescreen member matching the color of the inner bezel
 18. A housingindicator system, comprising: a housing comprising: a clear outer layer;and a translucent inner layer having a light receiving recess that formsa reduced thickness portion, the reduced thickness portion representingthe area of the translucent layer that is illuminated; an indicatorassembly comprising: a light device configured to provide light to thereduced thickness portion; a light barrier configured to prevent lightfrom entering the translucent layer except at the reduced thicknessportion; a light guide configured to direct light from the light sourceto the reduced thickness portion.
 19. The system as recited in claim 18wherein the light device includes a RGB LED and a white LED.
 20. Thesystem as recited in claim 18 wherein the light barrier is a thin metaldisk, which is positioned within the light receiving recess and over aportion of the translucent layer.
 21. The system as recited in claim 18wherein the light guide is a light tube formed from opaque white plastic22. The system as recited in claim 18 wherein the indicator assemblyfurther includes light gaskets at the interfaces surrounding the lightguide.
 23. A computer system, comprising: a processor configured togenerate light control signals; and a light feature operatively coupledto the processor, the light feature comprising: one or more lightemitting diodes capable of emitting light in order to illuminate anilluminable housing of the computer system; and a light driver disposedbetween the processor and at least one of the LEDs, the light driverbeing configured to convert the light control signals into a stablecontinuous current for driving the light emitting diode, the magnitudeof the current being based at least in part on the light control signal,the magnitude of the current effecting the light intensity of the lightemitting diode.
 24. The computer system as recited in claim 23 whereinthe light control signal is a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal. 25.The computer system as recited in claim 24 wherein the light driverincludes a PWM signal to voltage converter and a voltage to currentconverter.
 26. The computer system as recited in claim 25 wherein thePWM signal has a duty cycle that changes in accordance with the desiredlight intensity of the LEDs, wherein the voltage changes in accordancewith the duty cycle, and wherein the current changes in accordance withthe voltage.
 27. The computer system as recited in claim 26 wherein thevoltage is between 0 mV to about 500 mV, and wherein the current isbetween about 0 mA to about 20 mA.
 28. The computer system as recited inclaim 23 wherein the light feature includes a plurality of LEDs, each ofwhich is capable of producing a different color of light, the intensityof each of the LEDs being adjusted in order to produce different lighteffects.
 29. The computer system as recited in claim 28 wherein the LEDsare selected from red, green, blue and white LEDs, the intensity of eachof the LEDs being adjusted in order to produce a different color. 30.The computer system as recited in claim 29 wherein the light featureincludes at least a red, green, blue and white LED.
 31. The computersystem as recited in claim 23 wherein the light feature includes a lightdriver for each LED.
 32. The computer system as recited in claim 31wherein the light feature includes four light drivers, each of which isconfigured to drive a different LED, a first light driver is configuredto drive a red LED, a second light driver is configured to drive a greenLED, a third light driver is configured to drive a blue LED and a fourthlight driver is configured to drive a white LED.
 33. The computer systemas recited in claim 23 wherein the light feature includes a light driverfor at least one LED and a light switch for at least one LED.
 34. Thecomputer system as recited in claim 33 wherein the light featureincludes three light drivers and a light switch, each of which isconfigured to drive a different LED, a first light driver is configuredto drive a red LED, a second light driver is configured to drive a greenLED, a third light driver is configured to drive a blue LED, and thelight switch is configured to drive a white LED.
 35. The computer systemas recited in claim 23 wherein the processor includes a pulse widthmodulation unit having at least one channel with a programmable dutycycle that helps control the light intensity of the LED.
 36. A method ofilluminating a housing, comprising: generating a light control signalassociated with a desired light intensity; converting the light controlsignal into a voltage representative of the desired light intensity;converting the voltage into a current representative of the desiredlight intensity, the current driving an LED so as to produce light; anddirecting the light from the LED through the housing such that an imageis created at an outer surface of the housing.